McPherson Square Library to remain closed, with virtual Rebuild community engagement meeting scheduled

Update: this meeting is now virtual due to a heat advisory. Here's the link to join via Microsoft Teams . The Rebuild team will be at McPherson Square Library for a back-to-school event on August 23rd.

McPherson Square Library, which has been closed since June 21st due to a broken air conditioning system, will not reopen in time for a planned August 12 meeting with the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild program, according to a library system spokesperson.

The meeting will take place outside McPherson instead. The spokesperson did not provide a ballpark reopening date.

Rebuild is a citywide facilities improvement program funded by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax (commonly referred to as the soda tax). The city is overseeing 72 project sites in various states of completion, including the following in the Kensington area:

• McPherson Square Library
• McPherson Square Park
• Cohocksink Recreation Center
• Harrowgate Park
• Heitzman Recreation Center
• Trenton & Auburn Playground

McPherson Square Library is already in its first phase of Rebuild repair, which includes a new roof, gutters and downspouts. The library has been open during that construction, but needed to close in June for the HVAC repair. 

The second phase of the Rebuild plan will include a brand-new HVAC system, according to a Rebuild spokesperson, as well as new elevators, bathrooms, windows, flooring and other improvements to the building’s interior and exterior. 

Phase 2 is currently in the design phase, which means the city is still gathering community input on these plans and won’t begin construction until fall 2026. The city expects an 18-month construction timeline after that.

On August 12th, Rebuild will hold a community meeting at McPherson to hear resident input on the plans.

Mark Graham, communications director for the Free Library of Philadelphia, said the library will be used for bathroom breaks during the meeting.

“People who work for the library really want it to be open to the community, because all of the libraries and particularly McPherson Square are vital hubs that help bring people together,” he said. 

During the last six weeks, McPherson has been directing community members toward programming at the Kensington and Lillian Marrero libraries.

HVAC issues have been a growing concern across the library system, with dozens of branches temporarily closing during summer heat waves. City council members discussed the issue in April and agreed to fund an assessment of aging libraries and recreation centers.

McPherson Square Library, at the center of McPherson Square Park close to the Kensington and Allegheny SEPTA station, was constructed in 1917. Residents have been calling for years for improvements to the building, including for gates and other security measures to shield children and families from people using drugs around McPherson Square Park’s perimeter.

In 2022, residents pushed the city to move faster on making the building ADA-compliant and fixing structural issues that impacted youth programming and community safety.

Philadelphians citywide have complained about Rebuild project delays since the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly given the fact that the projects are in low-income neighborhoods grappling with gun violence and other crime. 

As of December 2024, Rebuild had completed about a third of the 72 promised projects and had spent $63 million of the allocated $400 million according to the Office of the Controller. 

In an earlier meeting with Rebuild, Kensington residents were able to write their desires for the redesign on post-it notes and vote for certain amenities. The current wish list includes park wifi, shaded seating, water features, lighting and playground swings.

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