Bloor/Gladstone Library

Last updated
Bloor and Gladstone Library
Toronto Public Library-Bloor Gladstone Branch 2022.jpg
Bloor/Gladstone Library
Type Toronto Public Library Branch
Established1913
Collection
Items collectedbooks, music, cds, periodicals, maps, genealogical archives, business directories, local history
Website Toronto Public Library: Bloor-Gladstone branch
Library interior Toronto Public Library-BloorGladstone Branch Interior.jpg
Library interior

The Bloor/Gladstone Library is a branch of Toronto Public Library, located at 1101 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario.

Contents

Services

Architecture

"glass box" addition of the library completed in 2009 Toronto Public Library-BloorGladstone Branch expansion.jpg
"glass box" addition of the library completed in 2009

It was designed by Chapman and McGiffin Architects. Its construction started in 1912, ended in 1913 and the library opened for business on October 25, 1913. The original building was inspired by the classical architectural tradition and incorporates many elements of the Italian Renaissance architecture, such as round arches, supported by pilasters with extruding head stones on the façade; decorative pediments that echoed Ancient Greek Temples; ornamentation, which included non-structural brackets on the interior, two fireplaces with sculpted angel faces on both sides of each fireplace, natural motifs, etc.; a slightly hipped roof with what seems like an entablature, created with the use of brick ornamentation and terra cotta veneer; the attempt to create a "perfect" square-shaped plan of the library with barrel-vaulted ceilings and a courtyard. The library has undergone two major renovations. The first was done in 1975-1976 by architects Howard V. Walker and Howard D. Chapman, which mainly affected the plan of the library since the facade remained virtually intact. The second renovation was from 2006 to 2009. The architects involved in this project were Rounthwaite, Dick and Hadley Architects inc, Shoalts and Zaback, and ERA. As a result of this renovation, the library now has a "glass box" addition, its main entrance has been lowered by approximately half a metre and some of the interior features, such as the staircase, have been altered for functional reasons.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaux-Arts architecture</span> Expresses the academic neoclassical architectural style

Beaux-Arts architecture was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Renaissance and Baroque elements, and used modern materials, such as iron and glass. It was an important style in France until the end of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spadina Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Park station (Toronto)</span> Toronto subway station

Victoria Park is a station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway system. It is located at 777 Victoria Park Avenue, one block north of Danforth Avenue in Scarborough. The station can be accessed by pedestrians directly from Victoria Park Avenue; by way of an unmanned entrance from Albion Avenue; through an automated entrance from Teesdale Place; and via a walkway that leads to the nearby Crescent Town area. A City of Toronto bicycle station is located adjacent to the main Victoria Park Avenue entrance, providing a paid secure indoor bicycle parking area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovercourt Park</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dovercourt Park or Dovercourt Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada situated north of Bloor Street between Christie Street to the east, the CPR railway lines to the north, and Dufferin Street to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearst Memorial Mining Building</span> United States historic place

The Hearst Memorial Mining Building at the University of California, Berkeley, is home to the university's Materials Science and Engineering Department, with research and teaching spaces for the subdisciplines of biomaterials; chemical and electrochemical materials; computational materials; electronic, magnetic, and optical materials; and structural materials. The Beaux-Arts-style Classical Revival building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as part of California Historical Landmark #946. It was designed by John Galen Howard, with the assistance of architect and Berkeley alumna Julia Morgan and the Dean of the College of Mines at that time, Samuel B. Christy. It was the first building on that campus designed by Howard. Construction began in 1902 as part of the Phoebe Hearst campus development plan. The building was dedicated to the memory of her husband George Hearst, who had been a successful miner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Spadina Crescent</span> Academic building of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1 Spadina Crescent, also known as the Daniels Building, is an academic building home to the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is situated in the centre of a roundabout of Spadina Avenue, north of College Street. Its location provides a picturesque vista looking north up Spadina Avenue; it is an axial view terminus for Spadina Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Park (Toronto)</span>

College Park is a shopping mall, residential and office complex on the southwest corner of Yonge and College streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Reference Library</span>

The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The library is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The Toronto Reference Library is the largest and most visited branch of Toronto Public Library (TPL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Brown House (Toronto)</span> Canadian politician

George Brown House is a historic building in the Grange Park neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was home to Father of Confederation, Reform Party politician and publisher George Brown. Its current address is 186 Beverley Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. W. Woolworth Building (Toronto)</span>

The Woolworth building, located at Queen Street West and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, pre-dates the Toronto Eaton Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmerston Boulevard</span> Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Palmerston Boulevard is a residential street located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, two blocks west of Bathurst Street, between Koreatown and Little Italy. The street is bounded by stone and iron gates both at Bloor Street and College Street. Notably, it is lit with symmetrically placed cast-iron lamps and canopied by mature silver maple trees. The name Palmerston continues south as Palmerston Avenue from College Street to Queen Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dufferin Grove Park</span> Public park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dufferin Grove Park is a park in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park is located on the east side of Dufferin Street, south of Bloor Street West. It is located a block south of the Dufferin subway station and across the street from Dufferin Mall. The park extends two city blocks east and is primarily green-space with mixed open space and treed areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (Toronto)</span>

Yorkminster Park Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Toronto's Deer Park, Canada. It is affiliated with Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.

Bloorcourt Village is a Business Improvement Area in Toronto, Ontario, Canada along Bloor Street east of Dufferin Street. It is located on the southern edge of the Dovercourt Park neighbourhood. This is west of downtown, and located within the former City of Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koffler Student Centre</span>

The Koffler Student Centre is the main student centre at the University of Toronto, located at 214 College Street. The centre houses a number of different student services, including the main campus bookstore, career centre, and health clinic. The ornate building is located at the northwest corner of St. George and College Street streets in a building that was formerly the home of the Toronto Reference Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crossways (Toronto)</span> Building complex in Toronto, Ontario

The Crossways is a mixed-use residential/commercial complex in the west end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at the intersection of Bloor Street West and Dundas Street West. It stretches across most of a city block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillian Massey Building</span> Building in Ontario, Canada

The Lillian Massey Building is a Neoclassical building located in Downtown Toronto, at the southeast corner of Queen's Park and Bloor Street along the Mink Mile and across from the Royal Ontario Museum. It was designed by architect George Martell Miller (1855–1933) and built between 1908 and 1912 for the University of Toronto's Household Science program created by Lillian Massey Treble, daughter of wealthy Canadian business man, Hart Massey. It presently houses the offices of the University of Toronto's Department of Classics and Centre for Medieval Studies and the offices of the University of Toronto's Division of University Advancement. Part of the building previously housed Club Monaco’s flagship retail store until 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Empire architecture in the United States and Canada</span> 19th-century North American architectural style

Second Empire, in the United States and Canada, is an architectural style most popular between 1865 and 1900. Second Empire architecture developed from the redevelopment of Paris under Napoleon III's Second French Empire and looked to French Renaissance precedents. It was characterized by a mansard roof, elaborate ornament, and strong massing and was notably used for public buildings as well as commercial and residential design.

The CIL Building is a fourteen-storey office tower located at 130 Bloor Street West in Toronto, Ontario. Designed by the architectural firm Bregman and Hamann and completed in 1960, the building is one of Toronto's best examples of International Style architecture. The CIL building is best known for its two-storey penthouse, which was originally occupied by businessman Noah Torno and is now a designated historic property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BDP Quadrangle (architecture firm)</span> Canadian architecture and interior design firm

BDP Quadrangle is the North American studio of UK-based global architecture, design, and urbanism firm, BDP.

References

[1] [2] [3] [4]

  1. Bloor and Gladstone. Toronto Public Library: Bloor-Gladstone library local history collection,1912- 2010
  2. Murray. "Renovation & Restoration." Canadian Architect August 1980: 28-29
  3. Chapman, H.D. Alfred Chapman: the man and his work. The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario: 1978.
  4. Hume, C. "Extreme makeover: library edition". Toronto Star 25 July 2009 <https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/670956>

Coordinates: 43°39′36″N79°26′02″W / 43.659913°N 79.434017°W / 43.659913; -79.434017