Brooklyn Lyceum

The Brooklyn Lyceum was the name of both a non-profit organization in Brooklyn, New York that was active from 1833 through 1843, and the structure which housed that institution. The building Brooklyn Lyceum, located at 182-184 Washington Street, was built in 1835. In 1841 the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library, the first free library in Brooklyn, moved into the building, and the two organizations shared the building until they merged to form the Brooklyn Institute in 1843. The building continued to be known as the Brooklyn Lyceum for two more years until the Brooklyn Lyceum building was purchased in 1845 by Augustus Graham and donated to the Brooklyn Institute at which point the building became known by that name. During its history, the building housed several organizations, often simultaneously, including the Brooklyn City Library, the Brooklyn Institute Free Library, the Youth's Free Library, and The Hamiltonians. The building remained the home of the Brooklyn Institute until it was destroyed by fire in 1890.