THE PHILADELPHIA JUNTO.: Free Library Make-Over Debuts

Friday 2 March 2012

Free Library Make-Over Debuts

The 'new' Philbrick Hall

Philbrick Hall Renovation

Part of Expansion Programme

After nine months of restoration work, Philbrick Hall at Parkway Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia reopened 2 March.

Made possible by the Annenberg Foundation, the renovation of Philbrick Hall opened up 2,500 square feet of previously inaccessible space to the public, including the Hall’s third floor mezzanine. The renovation features new seating, shelving, and window treatments; refurbished, original terrazzo floors; a restored, intricate plaster ceiling; and energy-efficient new lighting--all designed by Moshe Safdie Associates--allowing the historic grandeur of the Beaux-Arts room to shine through. At the same time, Philbrick Hall has been fully outfitted with several modern features, like plenty of new computers and video walls that display information about upcoming programs and other Library news.

In addition to the restoration of the space, 4,400 new items have been added to the already-extensive collections of contemporary fiction, non-fiction, and DVDs housed in Philbrick Hall--with more materials to be added in the coming weeks! The Hall is also home to the Parkway Central Library’s first-ever Teen Center for young adult customers. The 1,000-square-foot space features special lounge seating, work spaces for completing homework and other projects, and a selection of both Macs and PCs.

The renovation of Philbrick Hall was part of “Building Inspiration,” the plans to enhance and expand Parkway Central Library. “Building Inspiration” marks the first time in its 87-year history that the Beaux-Arts building has been extensively renovated. Last summer, the exterior of Parkway Central was refurbished and Shakespeare Park was revitalized as part of the project, with support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.

Beginning this June, the Free Library will begin the next phase of “Building Inspiration,” which focuses on converting staff and storage space at Parkway Central into public areas. The fourth floor will be extensively renovated and a professional-grade kitchen installed; conservation areas and public viewing spaces in the Rare Book Department will be enhanced; a modern, compact shelving system will replace the antiquated stacks system, opening up thousands of square footage to the public; and an exciting new public Common will be constructed, enabling ideas, shared learning, creativity, and opportunity to flourish in an open and unstructured environment. In all, more than 20,000 square feet of previously inaccessible space will be opened to the public during the next phase of the project.

As work moves forward at Parkway Central Library to restore and enhance this historic building, you can always get the latest progress updates on the Free Library's's renovations page.

BROADSTREETREVIEW.COM INDEX

Articles by Richard Carreño
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Dissecting West’s ‘Death of General Wolfe’ August 06 2013 Benjamin West’s Death of General Wolfe was once a hallowed symbol of British imperialism. Now it’s been hijacked by Canadians, whose supply of national icons is otherwise limited. National Gallery of Canada. 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. www.gallery.ca/en.

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Matisse and Barnes: A tale of two museums October 04 2011 Henri Matisse was one of the three great revolutionary artists (with Picaso and Duchamp) of the early 20th Century; Albert Barnes was a brilliant collector of revolutionary art. They made a great team until Barnes’s insufferable personality drove Matisse away, with consequences that still reverberate today.

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Antiquity, looters and the Penn Museum November 10 2009 Who are the best stewards of ancient artifacts— enlightened Western curators whose museums stole the loot long ago, or dictators of Third World lands where the treasures were originally found? James Cuno of the Chicago Art Institute (who believes the former) confronts the Penn Museum (which favors the latter). "Iraq’s Ancient Past: Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery." Through Spring 2010 at University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South St. (215) 898-4000 or www.penn.museum/sites/iraq.

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Museum’s admission hike June 29 2009 The Art Museum recently raised its admission fees, a fund-raising model that is strictly 20th-Century. Then it hired as its new director Timothy Rub, a successful advocate of the 21st-Century model: free admission. Does the Art Museum’s left hand know what its right hand is doing?

Venice: Nice place to visit, but…. March 31 2009 There’s no place like Venice to jump-start your romantic gene. But before you move there, remember: The plumbing stinks. And try schlepping groceries, or hauling a suitcase, or finding a doctor or a decent restaurant or a neighbor who’s under 50.

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Sarah Palin and the ‘C’ word September 13 2008 Thanks to Sarah Palin, the 800-pound gorilla is out of the cage. The 'C' word— class— is the one word in the American lexicon that's even better hidden in polite public discourse than race. And it has little to do with money.

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The horror of globalization February 16 2008 What is a German discount food chain doing in Philadelphia, pampering its customers and employees alike and otherwise violating cherished local customs? Don’t these foreigners know what we Americans did to the Hessians the last time we got really angry?

George Stubbs paintings at Penn April 17 2007 The English painter George Stubbs is largely forgotten outside racing stables, geezer men’s clubs and faux clubby steakhouses. But he transformed the way artists depicted horses and sporting scenes. Equus Unbound: Fairman Rogers and the Age of the Horse. Through June 15, 2007, at Kamen Gallery, U. of Pennsylvania’s Van-Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut St., first floor. Free and open to the public; photo ID required. (800) 390-1829.

Christie’s and ‘The Gross Clinic’ January 03 2007 As a leading art auction house, Christie’s well understands the role of a dummy bidder in jacking up the price of a work. In Jefferson University's recent sale of The Gross Clinic, Christie’s consultants apparently found an unwitting dummy in the Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton. Has Philadelphia’s art community learned anything from this $68 million lesson?

What price admission to the Barnes? August 12 2006 Hefty admisssion increases are the new order of the day at New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Derek Gillman, new chief of the Barnes Foundation, may be tempted to follow suit. Here's one hard-nosed reason why he shouldn't.

Celebrating ....

Friday 2 March 2012

Free Library Make-Over Debuts