Charles Santore Library
🏢 Free Library of Philadelphia · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Charles Santore Library
A South Philadelphia institution since 1963, the Charles Santore Library anchors the Bella Vista neighborhood with its eye-catching accordion-fold silver roof — just two blocks from the bustle of the Italian Market at 7th and Carpenter Streets.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 11am–7pm |
| Tuesday | 11am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–5pm |
| Thursday | 10am–5pm |
| Friday | 10am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 932 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Phone: (215) 686-1766
Website: libwww.freelibrary.org
Plus Code: 87F6WRPV+RV (Philadelphia, PA)
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📖 About Charles Santore Library
The Charles Santore Library traces its roots to the Southwark Branch, which first opened as a Carnegie-funded library in 1912 before moving in 1963 to a modernist building designed by Eshbach, Pullinger, Stevens & Bruder at the intersection of Seventh, Carpenter, and Passyunk Streets. The new building's dramatic accordion-folded metal roof — eight bays of peaked clerestory windows that flood the interior with natural light — earned architectural praise as a gentler, more human-scaled approach to 1960s modernism. In 2004, the Free Library of Philadelphia renamed the branch in honor of Charles Santore Sr. (1910–?), a lifelong South Philadelphia leader: a former boxer, Republican ward leader, and founder of Municipal Employees Union Local 696, who dedicated decades to bettering his community. Today the branch serves the overlapping neighborhoods of Bella Vista, Queen Village, and Hawthorne, offering children's programs, English-language conversation sessions, job-search support, a knitting and crocheting circle, and access to the full digital catalog of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Striking 1963 modernist building by Eshbach, Pullinger, Stevens & Bruder, featuring a distinctive accordion-fold silver metal roof with eight clerestory bays
- Named in 2004 for Charles Santore Sr., a South Philadelphia boxer, ward leader, and founder of Municipal Employees Union Local 696
- Two blocks from the Italian Market on 9th Street, serving the Bella Vista, Queen Village, and Hawthorne neighborhoods
- Weekly English conversation sessions and children's storytimes (lap-time for infants and preschool-age storytimes on Wednesdays)
- Part of the Free Library of Philadelphia's 54-branch system — one card borrows at every branch and unlocks POWER Library statewide databases
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Philadelphia cardholders can read, stream, and research free through the Free Library's digital collections and Pennsylvania's statewide resources:
📚 Services
- Adult, young adult, and children's print collections (books, large-print, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines)
- Free public computers, printing, photocopying, and Wi-Fi
- Meeting room space for community groups
- Children's room with dedicated storytime programming
- Baby-changing station
- Book holds and inter-branch pickup from any Free Library location
🎸 Programs
- Wednesday preschool storytime (ages 18 months–5 years)
- Wednesday lap-time for infants and caregivers (birth–14 months)
- English conversation sessions (Wednesdays, no registration required)
- Chess Club
- Knitting and crocheting circle
- Job search assistance
📍 Nearby Libraries in Philadelphia
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Philadelphia · Browse all Pennsylvania libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Charles Santore, and why is this South Philadelphia library named after him?
The library honors Charles Santore Sr. (born 1910), a South Philadelphia native who was a former boxer, a Republican ward leader, and the founder of Municipal Employees Union Local 696. He spent his life working to improve conditions in his South Philly community. The Free Library renamed the branch — originally the Southwark Branch — in his memory in 2004. (The branch is not named for his son, the celebrated children's book illustrator Charles Santore Jr., though the illustrator was also a South Philadelphia native.)
What is distinctive about the Charles Santore Library building?
The current building opened in 1963 and was designed by Philadelphia architects Eshbach, Pullinger, Stevens & Bruder. Its signature feature is an accordion-fold silver metal roof with eight clerestory bays that bathe the interior in natural light — an approach architectural critics have likened to a gentler, more neighborhood-friendly strain of 1960s modernism. The library replaced the original 1912 Carnegie building that formerly stood in the area.
What children's programs does Charles Santore Library offer?
The branch has an active children's room. On Wednesdays, the librarians run a lap-time session (for infants from birth to 14 months accompanied by a caregiver) and a preschool storytime (for children 18 months to 5 years). Check the Free Library's calendar at libwww.freelibrary.org for current schedules, as session times may shift seasonally.
Can I pick up holds from other Free Library branches at Charles Santore?
Yes. As a branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Charles Santore participates in the system-wide holds network. You can request any item from across all 54 branches through the catalog at catalog.freelibrary.org and have it transferred for pickup here. A free Philadelphia or Pennsylvania library card is all you need.
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