Reawakening a corner

Over on the corner of 40th and Walnut streets, across from the half-built theater complex and diagonal from the yet-to-open grocery store sits a building that most Penn students have never entered. Covered in a blue tarp and devoid of virtually any signs of inhabitancy, the building -- the Walnut Street West branch of the Philadelphia Free Library -- has sat abandoned since 1996, when contractors examining the site found that it was structurally unsound. Since that time, the residents of West Philadelphia have used a tiny storefront just across the street -- at 3927 Walnut -- as their local library. The move narrowed a large community gathering place into a small room, and further darkened the 40th Street corner that had grown so distant and cold in past years. This week, Philadelphia City Council announced that the traditional Walnut West library building would received a $3 million renovation and may re-open as soon as 2002. That announcement -- along with the news that The Freshgrocer and former Sundance Cinemas projects may be getting off the ground soon -- bodes well for the University community, local residents and the intersection that has sat dormant for far too long. Re-opening a sizeable public library on the fringes of Penn's campus should provide students and faculty with the perfect avenue for truly becoming active members of the University City community. And even though Van Pelt will still offer a wider selection of academic and course-related resources, students should make use of the rejuvenated library when it opens. Re-opening Walnut West will also further the development of the 40th Street corridor, especially since the theater and grocery store should both be open and energized by the time renovations are completed. Granted, there is still much time between now and the re-opening of the community library. But the potential benefits to be realized by opening the library -- and further reawakening 40th Street -- are well worth the wait.

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