Fumo Family Library
2437 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148-3508
(Porter & Broad St.)
Library is temporarily closed.
Upcoming Events
Spinning Yarns
Mon, Apr 6, 6:30 P.M.
Fumo Family Library
For those who knit and crochet, bring your latest project and enjoy a relaxing, low-key evening of crafting at the library every Monday. All…
Uke Meet
Mon, Apr 6, 6:30 P.M.
Fumo Family Library
Bring joy and music to your life! We will meet each month. Bring music you wish to share with the group. Play with other ukulele players.…
Toddler Storytime and Playgroup
Tue, Apr 7, 10:00 A.M.
Fumo Family Library
Join us for stories, songs, and activities, with time to socialize and play with the library's toys after storytime! These programs are…
Infant Storytime!
Sat, Apr 11, 11:00 A.M.
Fumo Family Library
Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, music, movement, and lots of fun, followed by a half hour playgroup. For children birth through 18 months and their…
Spinning Yarns
Mon, Apr 13, 6:30 P.M.
Fumo Family Library
For those who knit and crochet, bring your latest project and enjoy a relaxing, low-key evening of crafting at the library every Monday. All…
Toddler Storytime and Playgroup
Tue, Apr 14, 10:00 A.M.
Fumo Family Library
Join us for stories, songs, and activities, with time to socialize and play with the library's toys after storytime! These programs are…
About
Now located in a bright yellow building on South Broad Street next to South Philadelphia Charter School for Performing Arts the branch was formerly known as the Ritner Children's Branch. The new building opened in 1999, with a new name!
History
The area surrounding the Fumo Family Branch was composed of small farms and marshlands until the mid-1800's. The site of the branch was a farm owned by the same Swedish family for more than 200 years.
Broad Street was named by William Penn. The area below Morris Street was called "the Neck," and Broad Street was the spine of the Neck. Ritner Street was named for Joseph Ritner, the son of a German immigrant who went on to become the governor of Pennsylvania. Most of the streets in South Philadelphia streets south of Mifflin are named for governors who served from 1700 to 1919.
The Fumo Family Branch has had three names during its history. In its first incarnation, a brick Carnegie library was opened at Broad and Ritner on November 24, 1914 as the South Philadelphia Branch. This building was closed when the new South Philadelphia Branch was built at Broad and Morris Streets. However, neighborhood residents demanded that the old library be reopened, at least for children. As a result, the Ritner Children's Library was created, the only library exclusively for children.
On September 3, 1999, the current Fumo Family Branch opened in a new building attached to the Samuel S. Fels Community Center. City Council voted to name the new library after the Fumo Family of South Philadelphia.
A mural by Marie Garafano called "Waiting for the Train" is above the circulation desk. You can also see a bear driving the Broad Street Subway in another mural.