Abington Township is preparing to replace its aging flagship library with a larger, modern facility designed to serve one of Montgomery County’s most established and civically active communities, writes Jess Rohan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A Competitive State Grant Launches the Project
The township recently received a $749,750 Keystone Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, part of an $11 million statewide round awarded to 27 libraries across 15 counties.
Abington’s award, one of the largest in the round, will fund planning and design for a new main library facility.
Officials estimate that demolishing and replacing the current building at 1030 Old York Road could ultimately cost about $50 million.
A Building That Has Outlived Its Era
The existing structure was built in 1954 as a Best & Co. department store and first opened as a library in 1971.
The township expanded into the full building over the following decades, but library leaders say the now 72-year-old structure has become increasingly difficult to maintain, resulting in service disruptions and temporary closures.
Its limited space also prevents the library from accommodating some of its most popular programs.
A recent appearance by author Pam Jenoff, for example, had to be held at a nearby Penn State Abington building to provide enough room for approximately 125 attendees.
What the New Library Would Offer
The proposed project would create a more sustainable, accessible, and efficient library capable of supporting the township’s nearly 59,000 residents.
Abington is a largely middle- and upper-middle-income community with high homeownership and strong educational attainment. It has several distinct neighborhoods, including Glenside, Roslyn, Rydal, Crestmont, and Willow Grove.
That community has made extensive use of its library system. Nearly 24,000 people attended more than 800 programs in 2025.
The library provides more than lending books. It offers children’s activities, author events, adult literacy services, and a “library of things” that includes birding backpacks and home electricity monitors.
Funding and Next Steps
Officials will use the state grant to hire an architectural and engineering firm.
The library’s Board of Trustees has committed matching funds. The library has already called for a consultant, who will help lead a broader campaign toward the $50 million goal.
The project already has legislative attention at the state level. Library director Elizabeth Fitzgerald has also reached out to state Sen. Art Haywood about potential funding through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Additional fundraising will draw on private donations as well as possible state and federal support.
Demolition is not expected before September 2027, and the new building would be constructed on the same property.
The Community’s Library
Residents will help shape the final plans through surveys, focus groups, town halls and individual conversations.
Fitzgerald framed the effort as a shared endeavor, writing in her announcement that the planning is not in her hands alone. “This is the community’s library,” she said.
Read more about Abington’s plans for the upgraded library in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
