BRAMPTON CARNEGIE LIBRARY

Spotlight On Designated
Heritage Properties

Feature by Robert B. Hulley
Originally published in The Brampton Heritage Times

Being a relatively newcomer to Brampton, I was fascinated by the rather elegant building on the S/E corner of Queen St. East and Chapel St. and assumed it was a former bank, post office or other government edifice, built around the turn of the century. Recently, I had an opportunity to look into the background of the building and realized that it was none of these, but rather a very special building in Brampton’s cultural history. As it turned out this building was not only the first permanent home for Brampton’s public library, but as the cornerstone boldly indicates, it was built in 1906, or 100 years ago this year. It was one of the 2,509 libraries built around the world by grants from the Scottish born American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. In addition, it was also designated as a “Heritage Property” by the City of Brampton largely because of its unique representation of the “Beaux Arts” style of architectural design.

The presence of a Carnegie Library was always a special feature of the towns and cities wherever they were built. As T. W. H. Leavitt the Inspector of Public Libraries for the Ontario Department of Education wrote in his 1906 report, “In more than one locality the Carnegie Library is gradually becoming the natural local centre of the community. Citizens are proud of their building and its surroundings. It rapidly makes for itself a place in the affections of the community and becomes the centre of local interests; as the fountain of intellectual life and agent of a common culture it fills many wants felt by the old and young, gradually its power for good is recognized and citizens willingly cooperate in its improvement”.

Since the building is now closed to the public and used for other purposes, I was interested in seeing what vestiges of the original library remained and arranged to see through the building. I was anxious to do this because Andrew Carnegie and his assistant had set the standard for library design that lasted well beyond their lifetimes. This was probably more by accident than by choice since Carnegie was so concerned about the prudent use of his money that he, or his assistants, would examine every detail of the library’s plans and layout before they agreed to the grant. They would make suggestions on how the layout could be improved or redesigned. He would often have the plans vetted by some of the world’s most renowned librarians and architects and by so doing he not only brought international library standards to small town Ontario, but all over the English speaking world.

While the exterior of every Carnegie library differed, the interior functions remained very much the same. Brampton’s library was no different; it consisted of two large well lit reading rooms, a reception desk, with book stacks being easily accessible to the librarian and her assistants. The basement contained a lecture hall as well as a number of rooms for educational purposes.

Unfortunately while the exterior of the Brampton Library has changed little since the day it was built, other than the addition of a new wing in 1952, the interior with a few minor exceptions, has been completely remodeled into office space. The only exceptions were the entrance and the west reading rooms which still have their soaring oak fluted plaster crown moulding and an elegant fan shaped “fish scale” leaded window over the main entrance. But little else of its former glory, or use, remains. But, even though Brampton’s old Library has found another use, 74 of the original 111 Ontario Carnegie Libraries remain which are still used as functioning libraries.* The Brampton Carnegie Library ceased to operate when it was replaced in 1958 by the then new Central library, which is now known as the Four Corners Branch.

All is not lost for the old Brampton Carnegie Library building but its new use would probably cause Andrew Carnegie to smile and be proud of his accomplishments. You see, it is now serves to house Brampton’s Information Technology Department which puts it in the very forefront of what Peter Newman calls “a fast pace technological world gone global.”

*For a list of existing Carnegie Library buildings in Ontario see “The Best Gift, a record of the Carnegie Libraries in Ontario” by Margaret Beckman, Stephen Langmead and John Black.

Mr. Hulley is a Building Historian and Photographer as well as being a member of the Brampton Heritage Board.

November 30, 2007