(If you have additional information about the history of the South End Library, or images to share, please email us at info@friendsofsouthendlibrary.org)

Library service was established in the South End in 1877. The South End branch was located in the basement of the Mercantile Library Association at West Newton and Tremont Streets until 1879 when it was moved to the English High School, next to Boston Latin School. In 1904 the Branch relocated to 397 Shawmut Avenue and then again in 1923 to the John J. Williams Municipal Building at Shawmut Avenue and West Brookline Street. On June 7, 1971 the South End Branch Library moved to a new building at its present location, 685 Tremont Street between Rutland Square and West Newton Street, which previously was the site of the Mercantile Library Association.

In 2007, a group of residents living around the South End library and Library Park had become alarmed by the deterioration of the library site and the instances of drive-by shootings at Tremont and West Newton Street. They created a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL), and began to lobby for a library renovation that included the visual and functional integration of the building with its adjacent Library Park.

The renovation effort was interrupted by a city-wide fight against the Menino Administration to prevent library closures in 2008-2010. At the time, a library supporter and architect, Geoff Meyers, proposed a design that moved the library building partially into Library Park with a glass addition; the main entrance would be at Tremont Street and the brick wall would be opened up to feature art galleries. However, after the library closures fight ended, the renovation was put on hold and FOSEL concentrated on developing programming at the library to broaden its reach into the community. It established the successful  authors series, The South End Writes, organized summer jazz and blues concerts, funded children's performances and put together the very popular annual Easter Egg Hunt, among other programs.

A second try at renovation came in 2016/17, when the Walsh Administration demonstrated interest and commitment to renovating the BPL’s entire system, including branches like the South End library. Led by FOSEL board member and architect, Michelle Laboy, FOSEL proposed a multi-phased plan paid for by a public/private partnership of the BPL and FOSEL. It called for an immediate reconfiguration of the cramped and inadequate adult area on the first floor to create multiple seating arrangements and a new area dedicated to teenagers. A second phase would complete the downstairs interior renovation by moving the circulation desk and adding conference rooms. Additional phases would begin with a one-year program-study by the City’s Facilities Department to determine what the further needs for library services were at that time in the South End community, and how to meet those at the current location. The South End library building measures about 8,000 square feet, on a BPL-owned lot of about 16,000 square feet.

Within a short time, the multi-phased plan was replaced by an initial, so-called “refresh” of the existing interior space, with a much bigger renovation and expansion of the entire building to follow. With a $132,000 contribution from the BPL’s capital budget and $50,000 raised privately by FOSEL, the “refresh'“ was completed in 2020, when the South End library reopened on February 18 after a three-month closure. The renovation provided a much-improved interior space with new flooring, fresh paint, a variety of seating arrangements, a seating area dedicated to teens, and many charging stations for electronic devices. A $100,000 programming study for a multi-million dollar, city-funded expansion will commence in the near future, depending on the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The programming study, funded and ready to engage the public, is currently on hold as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. When completed after public hearings and demographic research, it will lead to a new design for an expanded library that will meet the 21st-century library-service needs of South End community.

The current building and the park were designed by the prominent architectural firm of Mitchell/Giurgola, originally from Philadelphia, but since split into two firms, one of which was established in New York City. The library was opened in June 1971 and last renovated in 1990s when an elevator was installed.