The Nyack Library was established in 1879 as a community- based organization that charged annual membership dues. It was chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York on September 10, 1890. The Library was moved to various storefront sites over a period of twenty-five years, until its permanent facility at 59 South Broadway in Nyack was opened on February 12, 1904 on land purchased from the DePew family. Andrew Carnegie, the noted philanthropist, provided the funds to build the Library.

In 1973 the Library undertook an expansion, doubling the size of the existing Carnegie building. This expansion was paid for through a bequest from Judge Mortimer Paterson, a Nyack resident who was a New York State Supreme Court Judge. The new East Wing provided the Library with a meeting room for public programs, space for reference librarians and their research materials, room for public seating and a small Local History Room.

In 1992 the Library again expanded by raising the roof of its East Wing and providing an additional 3,000 square feet of new space for collections and offices. In 1995 the Library purchased an adjacent lot, and the expansion will be primarily located on this parcel.

The expansion design - by local architect Michael Esmay - was based on two fundamentals: create a building compatible with the distinct charm of the village of Nyack, and echo the historic Carnegie entrance room to provide a continuity of design. The plan will attach a three-story addition to the side of the library, preserving the original Carnegie building while nearly doubling the interior space to 30,000 square feet.