City Councilmember Jeffery Young’s plan to relocate the Cecil B. Moore Library met with pushback from community who want to see it renovated

During an occasionally contentious Saturday meeting on the future of the Cecil B. Moore Library in North Philadelphia, City Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. told residents he wants to build a new library instead.

But, as with Young’s previous suggestion that the city move the library, residents held fast to their stance that the 64-year-old building should be preserved.

“This space is easily accessible to everyone who needs it, and that’s why it should be renovated, not relocated,” said Cierra Freeman of the Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition.

She criticized Young for proposing a plan without any “tangible written documents” — and for presenting a solution that she said nobody had asked for.

Young said he wants to build a new library less than a half mile away, using city property on 19th Street. He argued that the community — and teens in particular — would be better served by a new facility.

“The systems in this library are old,” Young told the crowd of about 40 people gathered at the library on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 24th Street. “They’re old. As we continue to use this space, things are just going to continue to fall apart.”

It was the second time this year Young proposed a plan for the library. In March, he suggested that the city demolish the building and replace it with a new library that has affordable housing units above it — an idea that also drew intense pushback from community members.

» READ MORE: North Philadelphians urge Jeffery Young to move Cecil B. Moore Library renovations forward

This time, Young suggested the current building be kept as a public space.

Like the street it is on, the Cecil B. Moore Library is named for the civil rights figure — a World War II veteran, lawyer, and politician who, while serving as the Philadelphia NAACP president, played a central role in the push to desegregate Girard College.

The building has issues with its aging HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, all of which need to be upgraded, according to the Save the Cecil B. Moore Library Greater Coalition. The library was closed from January through March this year due to problems with the heating system.

Other renovation plans include building a new teen space, adding windows, an elevator to the basement, and ADA-accessible bathrooms, and other initiatives, the group said.

Due to the city’s long tradition of councilmanic prerogative, Council members have near-total control over whether projects in their districts move forward. Young has not yet filed a “notice to proceed,” a necessary step to release funding and begin renovation, according to the coalition.

Young said the needs of young people have changed significantly since the 1960s. He described a space with things like podcasting studios and e-gaming technology that he said would draw in young people.

“If you look at this community, there is nothing to attract teenagers,” Young said. “Our kids deserve better. Our kids deserve new things.”

But many of those present, including Cecil B. Moore library worker and AFSCME union member Kate Goodman, said that moving the library east toward Temple University would remove a prime resource from a neighborhood that needs spaces for people to congregate.

“It’s a half-mile, but it’s a whole world of difference,” said Jordan Holbert of the proposed move.

Event moderator Joel Northam said that if the funds are not released soon, costs of labor and supplies will keep going up, shrinking the amount of work that can be done.

“We literally can’t afford to have this put off,” Northam said.

He suggested that the next step would be to support a campaign to unseat Young in 2027.