Rev. Debra Bennett, left, pastor of Church of Our Saviour Episcopal, Lee Murphy, a West Hill resident who helped build the structure, and Fran Wilson, right, a board member of the West Hill Neighborhood Organization, cut the ribbon as they rededicate the Crosby Street Little Free Library. Photo by Susan Zake Credit: Photo by Susan Zake
The tiny house-shaped building on posts, located at 79 Crosby Street across from the House of Prayer for All People and Church of Our Saviour Episcopal, was set on fire in May.
Neighbors worked together to rebuild the structure, from Lee Murphy framing out the house to neighborhood kids providing a coat of paint in West Hill’s signature purple.
With support from the West Hill Neighborhood Organization and others, the library will hold bus passes, laundry cards, personal hygiene products and doggy bags, along with books donated by Elizabeth’s Bookstore in Middlebury.
Watch our Instagram reel from the library’s rededication
Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.
