Toronto library to close for 4 years while award-winning replacement redefines corner

Residents of one Toronto neighbourhood will soon lose access to their local library branch thanks to a large-scale reconstruction project that will take a whopping four years or so to complete — but that will hopefully be worth the wait when all is said and done.

The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has an exciting new vision for its Dawes Road branch, which is presently a squat, humble, 70s-era building near the corner of St. Clair Ave. E. and Victoria Park Ave.

Plans to redevelop the small brick outpost into a sprawling, more modern facility have been in the works for years, and progress is finally being made toward actually getting shovels in the ground.

In its upcoming meeting, the library's board is set to formally award the construction deal for the undertaking, which means that demolition work can start on the site by June of this year.

In doing so, the board will also have to accept a hefty increase to the project's cost, which was earlier pegged at $38.86 million, but is now anticipated to be closer to $50.72 million — an uptick of a staggering $11.86 million, which is largely attributable to the tariffs and economic pressures that are new this year.

As the update heading to the board says, "the main driver of the project cost increase is the result of the construction tender and the need to ensure the contingency within the project budget is sufficient to address unforeseen items during the construction phase, and to account for uncertain economic and trade conditions that could impact the construction market over the life of this project."

Costs aside, the new-and-improved library is slated to be a boon for the area, spanning some 20,000 square feet across three storeys that will include not just TPL's standard stacks and services, but a City of Toronto Community Hub offering extensive programming opportunities ranging from workshops and courses to arts exhibitions and performances.

The hub will live across 5,500 square feet on the top floor, and will have rentable workspaces, meeting and instruction rooms, a kitchen area, a rooftop garden, and more.

The design for both the library and hub was informed by community consultations that helped identify needs and service improvements in this particular pocket of the city.

Architects Perkins + Will and Indigenous-led firm Smoke Architecture landed on a stunning design inspired by a "Starblanket," which represents healing and important life milestones in Indigenous cultures.

Flowing, curved exterior panels mimic the movement of a blanket as they wrap around the building, making it a standout landmark and completely redefining the corner. The blueprints actually won a 2023 Canadian Architect Award of Merit.

As the TPL has noted, this particular branch "is well used and serves a high-needs, multicultural community of 30,139 residents," and is also located in an area that has the second-highest proportion of families with young children outside of the downtown core.

In 2019, it circulated more than 151,000 items through over 88,000 library visits.

Following the temporary closure of the location for revitalization next month, and until the new building is completed, the TPL will be supplementing service in the area with bookmobiles.