North Philly residents reject proposal to build new Cecil B. Moore Library that includes housing: ‘We resoundingly do not want that’

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Residents and community groups rejected an idea to replace North Philadelphia’s Cecil B. Moore Library with a new library building that would include housing.

City Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., proposed the idea as an alternative to renovations promised at the library through the city’s soda tax–funded Rebuild program at a packed town hall meeting Tuesday evening at a nearby church.

“We are against demolition,” said resident Nadine Blackwell. “We resoundingly do not want that. We want a library.”

The Cecil B. Moore Library — which provides a safe space for kids, crucial computer access for adults and cultural programming — has been closed for more than a month because of a broken HVAC system. The Free Library plans to repair the HVAC system so the library can reopen “as soon as possible,” spokesperson Mark Graham said. But the library’s longer-term future is less certain.

The library’s Rebuild renovations, which are planned to include Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility upgrades, a teen space, new furnishings and new HVAC and electrical systems, were originally scheduled to begin last summer. But Councilmember Young asked Rebuild to hold off on construction so he could secure additional funding for more amenities, said Aparna Palantino, director of the city’s Capital Program Office.

Councilmember Young Jr.’s proposal

At Tuesday’s town hall, moderated by members of the Save the Cecil B. Moore Library Coalition, a group led by the Friends of Cecil B. Moore Library, the Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition and the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters, Young said the current library building, built in the 1960s, does not “fit 21st-century needs.”

He proposed a new library building “co-located” with housing, built and run by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which he said would address a need in the neighborhood and be affordable for low-income residents. He presented images of mixed-use library buildings in other cities — such as the Sunset Park Library and Apartments in Brooklyn.

“That is a trend throughout this country,” he said. “Libraries are not just spaces for repositories of books, right? They’re spaces where community and culture and learning, all that stuff comes together in one space … And with housing … we provide a child the opportunity to experience all of that in one location … community, housing, culture.”

North Philly residents say Cecil B. Moore Library should be the top priority

But the council member’s presentation was drowned out by chants of “time is up.”

“You want housing? We got housing all over this place. You’re packing us in here like rats,” said nearby block captain Cynthia Harris. “I think it’s all about real estate. … You’re concerned about filling your pocket.”

Attendees expressed concerns that co-located housing could bring new problems to the library — such as water leaks, pests or noise.

“The priority should be the library, the library only,” said attendee Neferteri Raynor. “We need a library now.”

Some attendees said the top priority should be meeting the needs of the neighborhood’s young people.

“It’s not very safe for a lot of children in this neighborhood, and [the] safe spaces that they can find is the library, is our rec center,” said Ailani Lasley, a youth representative for the Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition and lifeguard at the nearby recreation center. “I feel that having housing over top of the library could make it unsafe for children.”

Community groups have already organized to raise funds and expand the scope of the library’s planned Rebuild project, which is now funded with over $10 million in city, state and private funding — including the funding Young secured.

Now, members of the Save the Cecil B. Moore Library Coalition worry the housing proposal would lead to a longer closure, require more funding and leave room for a private developer to step in. The coalition is calling on the city to provide a transformational renovation, transparent progress updates, an alternate library site during the closure so that services continue uninterrupted and assurance that the library will remain a “stand-alone public asset.”

Young said the housing proposal is just one of three options for the future of the library. He said the city could proceed with the Rebuild renovations as designed or build a new, “state-of-the-art” library building — without housing.

Palantino said Rebuild will work with the mayor’s office, Councilmember Young’s office and the community to determine its next steps, and is “ready to proceed in any case.”

“The Rebuild project as designed could go into construction within months, with completion next year,” she said. “If it is a new building … then it would take a little bit longer.”