BLOOR GLADSTONE LIBRARY

The new Bloor Gladstone Library is a restoration and expansion project of the existing Heritage Library, doubling its size to meet the current Toronto Public Library Standards of a District Library. The design maintains the main public entrance at its historical location, but in order to meet current barrier-free standards the exterior and the interior stairs are removed and the public could now enter at the lowest level, 4.50 m below the elevation of the public sidewalk. The new architectural addition is a complementary foil to the Heritage building, with large areas of glass facing Bloor Street, one of the commercial strip in downtown Toronto, expressing a more current idea of a library as an open and engaging community meeting place. The functional program includes a children’s section, teen area, computer access centre, open study carrels, quiet study areas, group study rooms, lounge areas, meeting rooms and a significantly expanded book, magazine and media collection.