Chestnut Hill Library

8711 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118-2716
Germantown Ave. & Bethlehem Pike
Open today 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, 8/24 Closed
Monday, 8/25 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 8/26 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 8/27 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, 8/28 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 8/29 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. *
Saturday, 8/30 Closed
  • * Friday has hour changes – preparation for the Labor Day holiday
Sunday Closed
Monday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday Closed

Upcoming Closures

  • Mon., Sep. 1 : Closed Labor Day
  • Mon., Oct. 13 : Closed Indigenous Peoples' Day
  • Tue., Nov. 11 : Closed Veterans Day
  • Thu., Nov. 27 : Closed Thanksgiving Day
View all holiday closings

Facilities

  • Baby changing station
  • Bicycle rack
  • Book drop box
  • Computers for public use
  • Electrical outlets available
  • Photocopier (black/white)
  • Printing (black/white)
  • Public restrooms
  • Street parking (metered)
  • Water fountain
  • Wireless internet access (wi/fi)

Upcoming Events

Build It Club

Thu, August 28, 2025 3:00 P.M.

STEM-based building toys for free play with kids of all ages.  We have pre-Duplo, Duplo, and big-kid LEGOs, for kids of all stages of LEGO capabilities, and kids are encouraged to work through ideas using LEGO instructional books. We will also build with Magna Tiles, Kennex, and good…

Infant and Toddler Playgroup

Fri, August 29, 2025 10:30 A.M.

Play, talk, explore books and toys while listening to music and gaining early social, emotional, fine and gross motor skills. For youngsters along with their parents, grandparents or caregivers.  Come one time, or all the time. Meets most Fridays.  

Chestnut Hill Bird Walk

Tue, September 2, 2025 9:00 A.M.

Join us for a morning bird walk! We will meet in front of the library and proceed around the neighborhood. Look for and learn about the bird species that visit during the early fall. This walk will be led byTony Croasdale who is an Environmental Educator at the Wissahickon Environmental…

Fungi Futures: Mycelium as a Biodegradable Material

Tue, September 9, 2025 5:00 P.M.

Are you curious to learn how industry can become more eco-friendly? Join Christian Kustra, mechanical engineer and volunteer at the Philadelphia Mycology Club, for an overview of mycelium biomaterials, covering their sustainability, properties, and current industry applications.  5:00 -…

About

Located a half-block north of Bethlehem Pike in the middle of a lovely garden, the library is just beyond the end of the 23 route. facebook.com/FLPChestnutHill/

History

The first inhabitants of the Chestnut Hill area were the Delaware Indians. One of their leaders, Chief Tedyuscung, is immortalized in a statue in nearby Fairmount Park overlooking Wissahickon Creek. The Indians sold this section of their territory to William Penn on July 14, 1683.

The area's first white settlers were religious dissenters from Holland who were attracted to Penns Woods by the tolerance of its gentle leader. The name Chestnut Hill first appeared in a deed of 1711. Although there were no more Chestnut trees on the hill than anywhere else, the now almost extinct trees gave the town its name.

To serve the schools and the community, philanthropist Henry Williams built the Christian Hall Library in 1872 at 8711 Germantown Avenue. Williams named the library Christian Hall because he did not wish anything to go on in the two-story building and subsequent annex that would be inconsistent with the word "Christian." Singing, elocution classes, magic lantern shows, art lectures, church fairs and temperance meetings were permitted.

At first the library was only a reading room, and books were issued only to subscribers. But after 1876, Mr. Williams was persuaded to allow anyone to take books without charge. In 1897, the trustees of the Christian Hall Library decided that the library would be of greater benefit to the community as a branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and so they granted the grounds to the city.

A new library building was built in 1907, funded by Andrew Carnegie and on the same site as the Christian Hall Library. In 1991, a modern meeting room addition was added. The library was renovated in 1999 as part of the "Changing Lives" campaign, which brought Internet service to every branch. Active support is provided by the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library, founded in the 1970s.