Construction crews continue to work steadily on the Free Library of Philadelphia's Walnut Street West branch, located behind the cordoned-off sidewalks and dirt piles at the corner of Walnut and 40th streets.
The soon to be resuscitated location was closed in October of 1996 when structural damage that required nearly $4 million in repairs appeared to have sealed the library's fate.
Yet, with the aid of a $3 million state donation and contributions from the community, the 98 year-old building will open its doors once more next spring.
However, this time, the doors will open onto a different street altogether -- the 1959 entry will be changed and the building will open onto 40th -- and the internal layout will be completely revamped. Most exciting to Project Coordinator Frederick Robinson is the likelihood that the building will now qualify for eco-friendly certification.
"We're hoping to get Silver Certification," Robinson said, noting that the building will meet standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System through the U.S. Green Building Council.
"It would only be the second location in Philadelphia to do so," he added. "That would be pretty exciting."
Meeting this certification will be accomplished, Robinson explains, through the use of high recycle content and special paints and windows.
"There are only 54 currently certified buildings," U.S. Green Building Council spokesperson Taryn Holowka said, noting that "another 800 are in the pipeline."
Bringing the library branch the rest of the way through the pipeline will still require months of renovations. While the demolition phase is complete, Robinson noted that the building must go through significant changes before its re-opening.
"This summer will see a new section, the roof replaced and windows installed," he said. "Then you won't see us -- we're going to move inside for the winter."
But before cold weather shifts the renovations to the interior of the building, other external changes are also being made.
The library building has a unique exterior -- "the first and possibly only glazed terra cotta" building in Philadelphia according to Robinson -- that will be stripped, repaired and remounted.
But for those associated with the library, the interior renovations may be the most anticipated.
Allison Freyermuth, the Walnut Street West branch manager, has been overseeing the temporary location of the library -- in University donated space on the 3900 block of Walnut Street -- until the opening of the original building.
"It's going to be a significantly bigger space and collection," Freyermuth said, anticipating the larger events the new location will be able to host.
"I'm just waiting here planning," she added.
But the waiting days are numbered. Robinson reports that the building is on schedule and a specific opening date will be decided as soon as steel construction has been finalized.
Until the completion of the project, the sidewalk around the renovation site will remained closed for liability reasons.
