by: Leslie Scrivener
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| Design rendering of the Fort York Library, now under construction across Bathurst St. from Fort York and scheduled to open in November. |
Toronto’s newest library, its 99th, is set to open early 2014. The Fort York Library, an unusual, modern building with what looks like a crazy tilted roof, offers a rare view of its namesake, Fort York. It’s a historic site we rarely see unless stalled in traffic high up on the Gardiner Expressway.
The library, still under construction, rises up on the east side of the Bathurst Street bridge. It’s an elegant glass pavilion that will glow like a welcoming lantern at night. It’s such a presence that the neighbourhood of condominium towers and community housing has been named by the developer, Context, in its honour: the Library District.
When she first visited the site, architect Shirley Blumberg says she was astonished by the view. “It is the gateway visually and physically to Fort York and a way of connecting the fort to the city,” says Blumberg of KPMB Architects. “We’ve been cut off from Fort York and that site for 200 years.”
But what’s with the odd angles, the tilting roof (which will have a green roof) and the trapezoid shape? Behind the new library is another similarly shaped pavilion — the amenities building for the nearby condominium — in forest hues of green and blue, also with an angled roof.
“We’re talking deep, deep roots to the origins of the city,” says Blumberg, noting that the original Lake Ontario shoreline would have been nearby. The area would have once been heavily forested — hence the woodland colours in the buildings. They are outstanding in a monochromatic city of silvery glass towers.
“Immediately, we wanted to design the buildings so they would have some kind of resonance with the ramparts of Fort York with all their angularity. The colours are a metaphor for the landscape of 200 years ago.”
There’s further reference to local history in the art that will be incorporated into the library. When it’s finished, the building will have perforated vertical fins that will hold illustrations by artist Charles Pachter. They are taken from a book, The Journals of Susanna Moodie , a collaboration of Margaret Atwood’s poetry and his drawings. (Moodie was a 19th century settler whose book Roughing it in the Bush is a lively account of pioneer struggles.) Sections of Atwood’s poetry will be used on the exterior, too.
“It’s in keeping with the history of the immigrant experience and how unique this place is in the city,” says Blumberg.
She calls the library “the urban living room.”
“The library is often the first stop for immigrants. The library helps them find their feet and learn a new language. You’ve got home, that’s your first place. The second is work and the third place is where you hang out. It could be Starbucks, but a lot of people work in the library. It’s a learning commons for school kids.”
Toronto’s public library system is one of the most successful in the world. The library has some 19 million visits each year. Its new branches and the renovations of existing ones are often designed by Canada’s top architects. The library’s100th branch, by LGA Architectural Partners (formerly Levitt Goodman) with Philip H. Carter, Architect will open in Scarborough next year.
New libraries typically cost between $8 million and $9 million. The Fort York Branch is being paid for with Section 37 funding, a provision in the Planning Act that allows developers additional height and density in their buildings in exchange for community benefits such as parks, public art and daycares.
Library staff say they notice that after a renovation, library use goes up and users stay longer. A study on the economic impact of the library on the city of Toronto is underway and will be released in the fall.
‘Elevating into knowledge’
“The public library is seen as a major contributor to neighbourhood generation and life-long learning,” says Anne Bailey, director of branch libraries for the Toronto Public Library.
In contrast to today’s new open, airy libraries, she recalls the solid, traditional Beaux Arts and Arts and Crafts style of Carnegie libraries — seven of the original 10 built with Carnegie funding are still in use in Toronto. Their form was a metaphor for the library’s purpose. Most commonly, in those early 20th century buildings, you go up a set of stairs into the library: “Elevating yourself into knowledge,” as she puts it.
But new libraries with their transparency and open forms tell us something more. “The library is reaching out to you,” says Bailey. “We are yours.”
“We want people to understand that the library is not old-school. It’s 21st century. We are with the times.”
Inspiration in togetherness
And that’s why they want to have a building that says, “I’m here,” she says. “I’m available and open for business.”
Bailey says she hears people say with the Internet and ebooks, there’s no need for libraries any more.
“But people need to be together and are inspired by studying quietly together. People still borrow all kinds of books in paper format. Online use is going up. E titles have increased 100 per cent in the last year.”
She’s confident the new Fort York library will be among the most-used in the city.
“Great architecture invites people in.”
Correction - August 30, 2013: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the opening date of the library.
from: Toronto Star
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