When I first started blogging about the Toronto Public Library branches, my notes were fairly cursory. Now that I’m deeper into the project (74 branches deeper), I’d like to flesh out those earlier posts into fuller descriptions. In fact, this very post will fill in the details of a previously-visited library, Yorkville, where dignified stone lions guard the front steps.
A historical display near Yorkville’s vestibule informed me that the building was completed in 1906, making it “Toronto Public Library’s oldest library.” Yorkville was “the first of four libraries built with a $350,000 Carnegie grant . . . in 1903.” City Architect Robert McCallum designed the 1906 library in a “Classical Beaux Arts” style, and I think he made a great decision to go classical. Once I’d made it past the lions, solid interior columns, reassuringly square room-sections, and tasteful lemon walls all worked together to create a timeless sense of peace and stability.
As I surveyed the facility from a broad wooden table, it was comforting to feel connected to more than a century of continuous self-education in such a lovely setting. With the front windows revealing a mass of tree leaves, it was easy to imagine away the twenty-first century commercialism of nearby Yonge and Bloor. According to the historical exhibit, when Yorkville branch was constructed, this area was considered the northern part of Toronto. And something of that quieter time and place seemed to remain in the library, the legacy of a slower, less harshly-lit era. I really appreciated the break from honking cars, gadget-addled pedestrians, and insistent storefronts.
To get reacquainted with the library’s offerings, I walked over to the checkout area (noting the high lozenge-shaped lamps like Wychwood‘s) and veered left. Next to the DVD section was a portion of Yorkville’s LGBT Special Collection, unique to this branch. On the other side of the room was a substantial French-language section, along with adult fiction and books for teenagers.
Between the first segment of the library and the third (all connected on one level) was the area where I had been sitting. It contained lots of tables, the computers, and a helpful ESL and Adult Literacy collection. The last segment housed the children’s books (including lots of French materials), more shelves of fiction, and a special meeting room that boasted many sets of plays. To take advantage of these textual riches, a play-reading group meets there every Tuesday evening, choosing dramatic works by Eugene O’Neill, Norah Harding, Hanif Kureishi, Vaclav Havel, and Neil Simon among others.
As I reversed direction to exit, I paused to admire a cloth ship hanging from the ceiling in the kids’ section. Unlike more prosaic vessels, this ship had a rainbow tail like a kite’s. The tail was pinned to the ceiling in two places, creating a shape like a cursive letter “w” that slanted to the right. Sailing out the door, I reflected on what a treat it was to have visited two Carnegie libraries in as many weeks! Back-to-back nerdy delight!
Hello. I would just like to say I like the colour of your library. It has a very cheerful atmosphere.
It is cheerful, isn’t it! Thank you for your comment.