Source: 62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries, by
Jill Harness @
mentalfloss.com
#27.
Central Library of Vancouver, Canada
"Many modern building designs are based on historical icons, but few of these designs focus on the ruins rather than the original. The Central Library of Vancouver is an exception. Based on the Roman Coliseum, this massive building takes up one full city block and features not only a library with 1.3 million reference materials, but also retail shops, restaurants, a parking structure, office buildings and a rooftop garden.
#28.
Library of Parliament, Canada
"The Library of Parliament was once part of the city’s original Parliamentary headquarters constructed in 1876. The building had been under construction for ten years before it was revealed that the builders didn’t know how to create a domed roof as seen in the plans. To get around this issue, the Tomas Fairbairn Engineering Company of England was commissioned to create a pre-fabricated dome. As a result, the building had the distinction of being the first building in North America to have a wrought iron roof. The unique Gothic building is so iconic that today it is even featured on the Canadian ten-dollar bill."
+ In the same list of 62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries, by
Jill Harness @
mentalfloss.com
#40. Braddock Carnegie Library, USA:
"The first Carnegie library in the U.S., this library was designed in an eclectic medieval style by William Halsey Wood and opened in Pennsylvania in 1889. Only 5 years later, it received a Romanesque-styled addition, doubling the size of the building. At the time, it featured a variety of entertainment options, including billiards tables on the first floor, a music hall, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool. Additionally, it held a bathhouse in the basement so mill workers could take a shower before accessing the facilities. These days, the bathhouse is a pottery studio, but the tiled floors and walls remain.
Who is Carnegie?: Andrew Carnegie, a highly influential philanthropist and
businessman, dedicated much of his life and self-made fortune to
educational causes.
His strongest philanthropic initiative, driven by his strong
belief in and passion for free education, was the creation of 2,509 free
public libraries around the world. In total, he spent $2,556,600 on the
construction of 111 libraries in Ontario and another 14 elsewhere in
Canada. These funds contributed significantly to the development of
literacy in small communities across this province. Learn more about Andrew Carnegie.
See on the same shelf:
- Carnegie Libraries in Ontario
- Carnegie Libraries in Canada
- Carnegie libraries Today @ Library & Information Science Quotations
- Beckman, Margaret, Stephen Langmead, and John
Black. The Best Gift: A Record of the
Carnegie Libraries in Ontario. Toronto and London:
Dundurn Press, 1984.
- 25 World’s Most Beautiful Libraries @ http://art.ekstrax.com
- The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries @ Richer Ramblings + erdilielsfavourites
- The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World, By Emily Temple
- Celsus: A Library Architecture Resource -- Building and Renovation Resources - An Annotated Bibliography
- The 10 Most Beautiful Libraries in the United States | Mental Floss
- The circular library -- featured in the April 2004 issue of Architectural Digest, is located in a house in Ontario, Canada. A very classical-looking space with a rotunda-like feeling and beautiful wood paneling and bookcases. @ Truly Grand Home Libraries, part 4
- Twist on Tradition: Surprising Juxtapositions Lend a New Toronto Residence an Eclectic Formality in Architectural Digest 2006 issue -- "The entrance hall and library of a house in Toronto designed by
Katherine Newman for Joe Manget and his wife, Chris Mauro-Manget. The
console table and slipper chair are from Newman’s own line, Lona. J.
Robert Scott suede on Holly Hunt chair, at rear."
