Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710
FAX (215) 567-7850
Contact: Communications and Development
LOGAN LIBRARY TO REOPEN ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4 AFTER EXTENSIVE MODERNIZATION AND EXPANSION
PHILADELPHIA, October 15, 2017—The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to announce the reopening of Logan Library, located at 1333 Wagner Avenue. This library has been reimagined as part of the Library’s Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, a transformational project to reshape neighborhood libraries in Philadelphia to meet the changing needs of today’s library customers. Logan will hold a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 4, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
This transformed 21st Century Library has been made entirely ADA accessible, giving the whole Logan community full access to the library’s space and resources for the first time. The renovated library features warm, state-of-the-art spaces, including a vibrant Children’s Library, customized Pre-K Zone, and dedicated Teen Zone. Other enhancements include a welcoming living room space; an improved circulation desk; updated program, meeting, and study rooms; and a computer bar. In response to identified community needs, programming at Logan Library will focus on family literacy—a goal supported by a beautiful new reading garden. The Free Library collaborated with architect James. R. Keller, who specializes in design and planning for libraries, to reimagine this neighborhood library.
Supported by the Percent for Art Program—an initiative of the City’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy—the library will feature a piece of site-specific, commissioned artwork created by Ife Nii Owoo. Her indoor mural, Read: A Pathway for Hope, focuses on the importance of literacy in the community. The artistic process began with engaging Logan’s diverse community—consisting of African Americans as well as immigrants from the Caribbean, Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of Africa and South America. Images and colors have been drawn from culturally significant patterns from the community—for example, Madiba shirt patterns from South Africa and Mehindi designs from India. Words from internationally renowned Philadelphia-based poet Trapeta Mayson are artistically interwoven throughout the work.
The Building Inspiration initiative has been made possible in large part by a historic $25 million grant from the William Penn Foundation—the largest private gift ever received by the Free Library. ADA improvements at Logan Library were supported by funding from the Keystone Recreation, Park, and Conservation Fund—administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries—and other essential support came from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. The Library is also grateful to Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Toba and Lawrence Kerson, and Janet and Jim Averill, who supported innovative new spaces at Logan Library, as well as the larger Building Inspiration initiative.
The original Logan Library was built in 1917, using funds donated by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who committed $1.5 million in 1903 for the purpose of building more Free Library of Philadelphia locations. This year marks the 100th anniversary of this Carnegie library, and Free Library staff is overjoyed to welcome the community back to this neighborhood hub. To learn more about the Building Inspiration initiative, visit freelibrary.org/21stcenturylibraries.
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The Free Library of Philadelphia system, with 54 locations and the Rosenbach, advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 25,000 yearly programs and workshops; free public computers and extensive Wi-Fi, including neighborhood Hotspots; and rich special collections, including those at Parkway Central Library and at the Rosenbach. With more than 6 million in-person visits and millions more online annually, the Free Library and the Rosenbach are among the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact.
10/15/2017
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850