After an August 18 reopening, the library held a ribbon-cutting event to shed light on the building’s importance to the lives of the Port Richmond community.
An ordinance that expands a business curfew currently in effect in a section of Kensington will be enforced in much of North Philadelphia and more of Kensington in 60 days.
Richmond Library reopens after eight-month renovation: ‘The community feels whole again'
After an August 18 reopening, the library held a ribbon-cutting event to shed light on the building’s importance to the lives of the Port Richmond community.
Children and city officials join Amy Thatcher, branch manager and adult/teen librarian, as she cuts the ribbon to open the Richmond Library on Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Solmaira Valerio)
Almond Street in Port Richmond was buzzing with life as community members and elected officials gathered in front of the Richmond Library to celebrate its long-awaited reopening. After an eight-month-long closure to renovate the library’s roof and interior structure, it has now returned to serve its community as it has for over 100 years.
Residents and library staff shared their sadness in its closure, but also their joy in its reopening. For everyone, Richmond Library’s return marks the restoration of a big piece of the Port Richmond community.
“The community feels whole again,” said Eric Stowers, a Port Richmond resident who attended a ribbon-cutting event for the library Wednesday.
Since 1910, the Richmond Library has served the Porch Richmond community six days a week. The staff hosts many programs and events, including the LEAP children’s education program, story time and play groups for infants and young children, and offers resources like job search assistance.
Children play in the new Richmond Library’s play area on Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Solmaira Valerio)
Wednesday’s celebration included speeches from elected officials such as state representative Joe Hohenstein and the President of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Kelly Richards. After the speeches, community members gathered together to stretch a bright red ribbon across the front of the library steps.
“I think if there is a heaven, surely it must resemble a library,” said Jean Korey, a former Richmond Library employee, at the podium during the event., “ I think that if there is a God, surely she must be a librarian.”
The library was closed on December 7, 2024 after years of facing issues with its decaying roof, leaks and HVAC malfunctions. During this time, the staff were relocated to different branches across the city.
According to Amy Thatcher, Richmond Library’s Branch manager, having to relocate was an inconvenient and isolating experience for the staff.
“We didn't really see one another for the most part,” she said. “To run a library, you need a team. And so if you're not with your team, it's kind of a lonely existence.”
The project was delayed by a few months due to supply chain issues for the roof restoration, according to Aparna Palantino, the Deputy Managing Director of the recently formed Capital Program Office.
During the closure, the library received $2.5 million in funding from the City’s Rebuild program and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s capital budget. The funding went toward needed renovations, which included a roof and HVAC replacement, roof-level masonry restoration, interior plaster restoration and interior painting.
The Library officially reopened on August 18, and has resumed regular operation from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to Thatcher, new additions to the program are being added within two to three weeks, like a fantasy fiction writer’s club and a mother’s support group.
Thatcher has a deep connection with the library and with the other staff members after a decade as branch manager. She said she is thrilled to return to the building and work with people she’s become friends with over the years.
“It feels like we're back home,” she said. “We're all like family.”
Amy Thatcher inside the new Richmond Library on Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Solmaira Valerio)
The goal of the restoration was to maintain the historic feel of the building, which library architect Edward L. Tilton originally designed, according to Palantino with the Capital Program Office.
Stowers, who’s been coming to the library with his son for three and a half years, said that the ribbon-cutting celebration marks the fifth time they’ve been to the library since it officially reopened in August. He and other Port Richmond Neighbors would check in with each other virtually once a month to see if there was any news of reopening during the eight months of the library’s closure.
The library’s closure was a “big loss” to the community, he said.
“When I think of Port Richmond in terms of what is special about it, the library is up there,” he said. “ When you take that away, it's just harder to see other friends, harder to see other people, and then you're having to drive other places, and it just takes more time.”
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Khysir Carter is a multimedia journalist, writer, and editor from Kensington who covers community stories, builds local partnerships, and engages youth in finding their creative voice through writing and multimedia.
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