Phila. Free Library to get Walnut St. spot

The branch, which closed nearly 16 months ago, will occupy space near Baskin Robbins for two years. After 16 months of inactivity, the Walnut West Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia has found a temporary home at 3927 Walnut Street, only a few steps away from its previous location. Two weeks ago, the University agreed to rent the space -- previously used for the Penn Student Employment Office -- to the Free Library for a nominal fee, according to Friends of Walnut West advocate Beth Ann Johnson. "We're delighted to have a temporary library," Johnson said. "I'm very happy it's right here on the corner." The University will rent the location to the library for $1 per year, according to Managing Director for Economic Development Jack Shannon. Shannon explained that the Student Employment Office will relocate in the near future, leaving the library with two floors of space. Preparations for moving the library into the new site will begin May 1, although University and library officials are uncertain as to when it will be able to open. Shannon explained that the University hopes to have the budget and schedule completed by March in order to open the library before June. "The area on the first floor, along with the mezzanine, is more than sufficient for the Free Library to open a temporary location providing a full range of services to the adult and children readers in the community," Shannon said. The space will be used for two years, during which time city officials hope to renovate the 83-year-old library building -- which was donated by Andrew Carnegie -- at the southeast corner of 40th and Walnut streets. The building was forced to close in October 1996 for renovations and architectural repairs and was scheduled to reopen within six months. But engineers later discovered major water damage, which left the building's future uncertain. According to Johnson -- whose non-profit organization serves as a bridge between the public library and the community -- the Free Library was a "keystone" of the community when it was open. Besides housing books and resources, the building hosted tutoring projects and a summer reading programs consisting of about 1,000 students. Additionally, the downstairs level housed a community room, something, West Philadelphia sorely needs, Johnson said. "People come up to me in the street and hand me donations and say, 'Please try to save the Free Library'," she said. Johnson said she is in the process of creating a proposal for another engineering study in the old building. Two previous examinations of the facility estimated the cost of repairing it at between $500,000 and $3.8 million. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Maureen Tkacik contributed to this article.