Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration broke ground this week on a $21.7 million renovation of Kensington’s McPherson Square Library and the surrounding 6-acre park.
Crews will complete a “full gut renovation” of the domed Indiana Avenue building, which was constructed 99 years ago with funding donated by the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, city officials said.
In addition to new HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, the endeavor includes adding an entry ramp and elevator and building fresh front and back entrance patios. The library will be redesigned to incorporate a children’s lunch area and teen room, according to the Parker administration.
Workers will install a new playground with a shade structure and seating, paths through the park, exterior lighting, security cameras and a relocated fenced-in parking lot, officials added.
A smaller first phase of the project was completed last year. The library’s roof was replaced, and crews restored the property’s copper dome, along with other improvements, the Parker administration stated.
The library closed for construction earlier this month and is set to remain shuttered until spring 2028, when the work is scheduled to wrap up. Programming is set to continue at a temporary location that will be announced in the near future, staff said.
Renovating the library is part of the Rebuild initiative, which was launched with revenue from the sugary drinks, or soda, tax. State grants have also been awarded to support the project, officials said.
McPherson Square, located off Kensington Avenue between the Somerset and Allegheny stations on the Market-Frankford Line, became a symbol of the neighborhood’s well-publicized opioid epidemic, with some referring to the area as “Needle Park.” Library employees carried naloxone to reverse overdoses outside the building.
"For many families, McPherson Square is part of everyday life, even after years in which the park faced serious public-safety and quality-of-life challenges," City Councilmember Quetcty Lozada, of the 7th District, said in a statement. "This renovation will give our community a safer, more welcoming space — and give our young people better places to learn, play, and grow.”
Several city departments, as part of the “Kensington Blitz,” will focus on the square to support the investment, with crews moving “block-by-block across the corridor to clean, stabilize, and reclaim public spaces,” the Parker administration said in a news release.
Parker attended the groundbreaking to, in part, mark her 1,000th day in office. Since becoming mayor, she has returned to Kensington for important milestones in her tenure.
“The people of Kensington have faced enormous challenges for far too long, and they deserve sustained investment in their neighborhood,” Parker said in a statement. “We have made important progress on public safety, quality of life and connecting residents to care, but we know there is much more work ahead.”
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