Happy 25th Birthday, North York Central Library!
On May 13, 1987, North York Central Library opened for the first time. At that time, 25 years ago, Art Eggleton was Mayor of Toronto, David Peterson was Premier of Ontario, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister of Canada, Jeanne Sauvé was Governor General of Canada, Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States and, well, Queen Elizabeth II had already been Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for 35 years!
North York Central Library in 1988
Raymond Moriyama, the acclaimed Canadian architect, designed the North York Central Library. This new library replaced the Gladys Allison Building, which was opened in 1959. Raymond Moriyama had already designed the Toronto Reference Library, which opened on November 2, 1977. More recently, he has designed the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
In the 1988 photograph, above left, you can see the mural in the atrium by the renowned Canadian artist Harold Town. This mural was originally a frieze in the Gladys Allison Building. It really is fascinating to look at. Starting at the top left, the mural consists of six alphabetical symbols representing various languages from diverse cultures: a Scandinavian rune; the Roman letter A; a Cree letter; a Chinese pictograph; an L from Assam, India; and the Semitic letter A. This 1988 photograph itself is an artifact, one of 48,903 photographs and 49,789 Moriyama & Teshima Architects architectural drawings, from an incredible collection located in the Archives of Ontario. They are part of a generous donation by Moriyama & Teshima Architects.
Watch Raymond Moriyama in the video below for fascinating insights into the architectural design process and comments on some of the buildings he has designed, such as the Canadian War Museum and The Bata Shoe Museum (you can go for free to the Bata Shoe Museum with a Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass, available at 32 Toronto Public Library branches).
Customers come from all over Toronto to explore North York Central Library: to take advantage of its programs, collections and services; children enjoy the challenge of climbing all the way to the top floor of the library, six floors up; and others come for a quiet sanctuary in an increasingly noisy city. Come and enjoy this beautiful 25 year-old public space.
10 thoughts on “Happy 25th Birthday, North York Central Library!”
Happy Anniversary North York Central Library Building! Has it really been all of 25 years?
I remember gasping at the range of books you had, and most could be borrowed (which they could not be at the Reference Library). I’m still miffed at the extensive weeding Blitz done later. I did not get the chance to read a lot of interesting looking religon, history and literature books. Oh well. A few escaped the purge and you did buy others.
You’ve been a vital part of library life in Toronto. Very few public libraries have so much. I pat your broad back and wish you live long and prosper.
Thank you very much for your good wishes!
I worked at North York Central Library as a Page from September 1987 until Auguar 1990 and have many fond memories of my years there. One thing that stands out is how upbeat and happy everyone was to be working in such a beautful brand new building. Happy 25th birthday Central!!!!!
Thanks, Mary Jane, for sharing your happy memories of working at North York Central Library when it was brand new. It is wonderful that Raymond Moriyama’s design had such a positive impact on the staff.
Excellent blog! Thank you for the historical tour. I was in high school at that time and fondly remember struggling with the long semesters and taking all the required math and science classes.
Happy Birthday North York Central Library! You are my favourite library in Toronto!
You are welcome – hopefully this beautiful library helped with your studies!
Thank you, Diya, for your good wishes. I am so glad you enjoy coming here!
Sadly, I wish I discovered this beautiful library back then. I spent my time at Sanderson and Toronto Reference but it was time well spent. It would have been nice to have seen this brand new library at that time. I am grateful that I am enjoying it now.
I am so glad your time at Sanderson and Toronto Reference Library was fruitful, and that North York Central Library is welcoming you now.