C
convoyD
Guest
Central Public Library & Botanical Gardens for T.O.?
When I was in Chicago two years back, I was struck by its magnificent central public library -- a grand, hulking, red granite block, with huge copper gargoyles jutting out at the corners, topped by a beautiful copper and glass winter garden -- which looks as though it could have been built a hundred years ago but, on close inspection, you soon notice that it could only have been built in the early 1990s. Its the best POMO building I have ever seen. In the floor of the main hall (overlooked by a mezzanine gallery), surrounding the city's coat of arms and written in mosaic is Chicago's "mission statement" that goes something like "...this city, founded by French Canadian explorers,bringing together men and woman from all over the world, of all races and religions, gays and lesbians..." Its quite moving.
Now, I know there are many loyal fans of the T.O. Reference Library but it seems to me that a great central public library, with a much more ambitious mandate, would greatly enrich this city. What a perfect place to centralise / display Toronto's historical archives--documents, photographs, etc. How about screening rooms for student films / documentaries, or some kind of "multicultural" documentation / research area attracting academics from around the world? And, of course, millions of books. I think T.O. needs to imagine / re-imagine itself and a central public library may just be the way to do it.
Also, in my opinion, another fundamental cultural facility for any self-respecting global city is a spectacular botanical gardens, such as those in Montreal, Berlin or London. Where are our's?
Having institutions like these goes beyond any kind of competition that we may wish to wage with other cities for greatness or tourish dollars. They're more about bringing clarity and joy to what it means to be a Torontonian. In other words, they're more about us than them.
When I was in Chicago two years back, I was struck by its magnificent central public library -- a grand, hulking, red granite block, with huge copper gargoyles jutting out at the corners, topped by a beautiful copper and glass winter garden -- which looks as though it could have been built a hundred years ago but, on close inspection, you soon notice that it could only have been built in the early 1990s. Its the best POMO building I have ever seen. In the floor of the main hall (overlooked by a mezzanine gallery), surrounding the city's coat of arms and written in mosaic is Chicago's "mission statement" that goes something like "...this city, founded by French Canadian explorers,bringing together men and woman from all over the world, of all races and religions, gays and lesbians..." Its quite moving.
Now, I know there are many loyal fans of the T.O. Reference Library but it seems to me that a great central public library, with a much more ambitious mandate, would greatly enrich this city. What a perfect place to centralise / display Toronto's historical archives--documents, photographs, etc. How about screening rooms for student films / documentaries, or some kind of "multicultural" documentation / research area attracting academics from around the world? And, of course, millions of books. I think T.O. needs to imagine / re-imagine itself and a central public library may just be the way to do it.
Also, in my opinion, another fundamental cultural facility for any self-respecting global city is a spectacular botanical gardens, such as those in Montreal, Berlin or London. Where are our's?
Having institutions like these goes beyond any kind of competition that we may wish to wage with other cities for greatness or tourish dollars. They're more about bringing clarity and joy to what it means to be a Torontonian. In other words, they're more about us than them.
