U. help Free Library search for new home

More than a year after the Free Library of Philadelphia closed its branch at 40th and Walnut streets, plans for the building remain up in the air as the University has proposed five sites as temporary locations for a new branch. The 83-year-old building closed on October 26, 1996, for minor renovations such as rewiring, repainting and architectural repairs, and was scheduled to reopen within six months. Upon entering the facility, however, engineers discovered $4 million in water damage. Last summer, Free Library officials explored renovating and reopening the building -- known as the Walnut Street West Branch -- but concluded that was not feasible, according to Free Library spokesperson Mike Sydeck. The library then requested that the University help find the branch a temporary, and perhaps permanent, home. "We have identified several sites in the vicinity of 40th and Walnut streets that would accommodate a temporary library system," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. Both Shannon and Sydeck refused to identify any of the potential sites, saying that would jeopardize the locations' availability. Community members and library officials agreed last summer that, among other requirements, the new location should be near the old one. The potential sites meet those preferences, according to Shannon. Despite the delay in finding an appropriate location, Sydeck said the library fully intends to reopen a branch in the area. No timetable, however, exists for either the opening of a new branch or the disposal of the old building, he said. The University is interested in purchasing the property from the Free Library system, according to Sydeck. Shannon declined to comment on such a purchase. Although University and library officials are concerned with finding the branch a permanent home, they are currently concentrating on finding a temporary location. "I anticipate that once a temporary location has been identified, we'll work with the Free Library system and the community to identify a permanent location as well," Shannon said. Despite the University's extensive involvement in the search for another location for the library, the ultimate decision and cost of reopening the branch will rest with the library, Shannon said. When it was open, the Walnut Street West Branch served as a place where students, professors and community members could interact. It contained bestsellers, children's books, newspapers, magazines, compact discs and videocassettes. Unlike most other libraries, the branch organized its materials by category and not by the Dewey Decimal system. Penn students also used the library as a place in which to tutor area children. In addition, Graduate School of Education students used the children's collection to experiment with alternative teaching methods. The branch closed for renovations two other times in its history. In 1959, the library's lighting was upgraded, and in 1987, the facility was closed so workers could remove asbestos that infested the building. It reopened in 1990.

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