The library was officially founded in 1892 by Collis P. Huntington,[1] a Southern Pacific Railroad magnate whose summer home was in nearby Throggs Neck, Bronx.

Its origins, however, were in the will of Peter C. Van Schaick, a local philanthropist, who set aside funds from his estate to build a free reading room to be donated to the village of West Chester, (now the Bronx) upon its completion.

When Collis Huntington took over the library in 1890, a local architect, William Henderson, added the rear part of the reading room and the two-story residence above it.

Pratt of Collis Potter Huntington, dedicating the building to his memory, greets visitors entering the Reading Room.

Covering the fireplace is a large-scale map, Throggs Neck in the 1850s, drawn by Bronx historian, John McNamara.

A wood sculpture of the library, carved by Patrolman John H. Jones in 1901, during his lunch breaks in the park across the street, sits on top of a bookshelf.

Other items of interest include vintage typewriters, one a very early Woodstock electric model, and a 1917 Tiffany grandfather clock.