Walnut Street West/West Philadelphia Branch
Historical Images of Philadelphia Free Library Departments and Branches
Item Info
Item No: pdcf00517
Title: Walnut Street West/West Philadelphia Branch
Additional Title: Interior view of the West Philadelphia Branch, ca. 1896
Historic Street Address:
40th & Ludlow Streets, NW corner
Media Type: Photographic Prints
Source: Print and Picture Collection
Notes:
The West Philadelphia Branch of Philadelphia Public Library opened on May 28, 1895. It was housed in a suite of three rooms on the first floor of the West Philadelphia Institute at 40th and Ludlow Streets. It became a branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia on January 1, 1896. This photograph was probably taken a few years later, shortly before the space eventually expanded to 5 rooms.
The branch underwent several relocations and renovations over the next century. In 1906, the branch moved into its permanent location, at 40th & Walnut Streets. Sometime in the 1970s, it was renamed the Walnut Street West Branch.
Located near the University of Pennsylvania, the library serves the communities of University City and Spruce Hill.
Creation Year: ca. 1896
Geocode Latitude: Geocode Longitude:-75.202114
Geocode Latitude:39.956383