Allegheny/Strawberry Mansion: After a Century, Library Still Serves its Community

On Lehigh Avenue between 28th and 29th streets, countless people scurry back and forth past several row homes, a familiar sight on countless blocks all over North Philadelphia.

But nestled in between houses clearly wrought with years of wear and history people also pass a massive building whose outside shows no visible signs of age. Its glass-paned  facing shoots outward from the ground to the sky as if it were looking over this slice of concrete that straddles the border of the Strawberry Mansion and Allegheny West neighborhoods. At the top of the building, giant silver letters read “Widener Public Library.”  The name signifies more than 100 years of history, but the sign on which that history is displayed is an infant in comparison. This is because in 2005, Widener Public Library moved from a previous location into a new building with some new resources.

It was originally housed at Broad Street and Girard Avenue in the mansion of prominent 19th and 20th century Philadelphia businessman Peter A.B. Widener, who donated the building in 1900 in memory of his late wife whom the library is named for, H. Josephine Widener. The building was sold 46 years later and burned down in 1980. The branch has since made several moves, including a store front at Lehigh Avenue and 25th Street, the location from which the new building transferred.

To make room for the new building, three abandoned homes were bought and knocked down, landing the new structure in the middle of a mostly residential block. An African Plains theme was applied to the construction and organization of the library’s resources. Abstract sculptured likenesses of giraffes, elephants and gazelles surround the main floor.

Paul Daka has worked in library services for eight years and is the library’s building manager and children’s librarian. “When they built this library it was in conjunction with the representatives in the area and they really wanted to target this section of North Philadelphia to be a revitalization of the neighborhood, but I really haven’t seen anything new go up since this library’s been built,” said Daka, a Mayfair native.

Even so, Daka was certain about the public library’s value to the community. “The one thing that’s peculiar about Philadelphia as opposed to other urban cities and they found out when they tried to close 11 branches, Philadelphia, from reports I’ve seen, has about 15 to 20 more branches in this city than say Chicago, Boston [and] Los Angeles. We have a lot more branch libraries than those other cities,” he said.

He said that because of this strong neighborhood identification, when  services, like public libraries, designated to specific neighborhoods are in danger, residents will rally to keep them. He said he would expect the same if Widener were to ever be in danger of closing.

“Even though I could probably work in the Northeast area, there’s a lot of good reasons to work in an area that really needs the library,” said Daka.

Daka, along with other library employees and volunteers, run many of the services offered such as storytimes, special presentations, art programs and working with both children and adults with reading and computer literacy.

“I think that’s what makes us as a city different compared to other cities,” he said. “Some cities may see themselves as part of that city, but in Philadelphia, people see themselves as part of their neighborhood within their city.”

Most fundamentally and historically, Widener Public Library has been a way for the public to get books. This is especially important, Daka said, because many families who may not be able to afford their own books, come in to borrow some for themselves and their children.

“Now, you have to apply for a job more on the computer and if you look around you know most people in the area don’t have a computer, so they need to come here to use the computer,” said Claudia Gordon, nearby resident and frequent library patron.

“I’m retired, so I’m getting back into my reading, which I love so I can use library also. So it is well-needed,” she said.

Instead of throwing away books that are old or do not circulate often, the materials are put into the Books-To-Go program. The books are then sold at a low price at the library and children’s book fairs.

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