PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Long-awaited renovations to Philadelphia’s McPherson Square Library kicked off with a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday.
With its dome and gold columns, the library is a temple to books, built by the Carnegie Foundation in 1917, but in recent years, it was best known for its role as first responder to the people in addiction who sprawled on its lawn. They are gone now — one measure of the success of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s effort to reclaim the neighborhood.
“The Kensington that I’m standing in today. This is not the Kensington that I walked in January of 2024,” she said.
The spot became famous because staff — armed with narcan — saved so many lives nearly lost to overdoses. Public Safety Director Adam Geer said it’s undergone dramatic changes.
“When the mayor took office, there was about 900 folks living on the streets, just in this footprint, 900 folks. That number has come down to between 300 and 400 people, which we can get our hands around; we can get to those folks,” Greer said.
Parker credits an all-hands strategy with multiple layers, including more outreach, services and a larger police presence. Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said police worked in phases, block by block.
“Phase one was going in and taking the block. What you see today — this is about phase four, meaning after the police have come in, after all city services have come in, how do you start to invest in the community,” Stanford said.
The library renovation is a $21 million investment that restores the building, creates new spaces, improves accessibility and, as councilmember Quetcy Lozada said, transforms the neighborhood.
“It will be a place to learn, gather, grow and dream.”
