Shelburne Public Library (Ontario)

The Shelburne Public Library is a public library in Shelburne, Ontario which serves the town's residents and taxpayers.

Shelburne Public Library
Side view of the Library, seen in 2017.
CountryCanada
TypePublic
Established1911
Location201 Owen Sound Street, Box 127, Shelburne ON, L9V 3L2
Coordinates44.07956°N 80.20473°W / 44.07956; -80.20473
Websitewww.shelburnelibrary.ca/index.html
Map

History
Photo of the original building in the 1910s.

A public meeting organized in January 1911 marked the start of the library. Construction started in June 1911 and the official opening was February 12th, 1912. The vault in the basement was added in 1937. [1]

Planning

On January 21, 1911 Shelburne received a grant $6,000 from the Carnegie Foundation for the construction of a public library. The building was designed by architect J.A. McKenzie, [2] and opened on February 12, 1912. [3] The "architect" was in fact Dr. J.A. McKenzie, M.A., Ph.D., was the local Presbyterian minister, who won favour when he won a contest to design the local Post Office and was selected to design the library. He submitted several sketches that were returned for revisions before the elevations and interior layouts were officially sanctioned by the Carnegie Foundation. [4]

The front entrance features "a bracketed pediment over a plain frieze supported by columns with modified Ionic capitals". [4]

Later history

The original Gothic-style building on Owen Sound Street was expanded in 2002 with a SuperBuild Grant of nearly $600,000 that was received from the Canadian Federal and Provincial governments, allowing the building to double in size. An elevator was installed, allowing wheelchair access. An additional $300,000 was raised in the community. [3]

See also

References
  1. "Historic Shelburne Walking Tour" (PDF). Town of Shelburne. Heritage Shelburne. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  2. "Carnegie Libraries". Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  3. "Shelburne Public Library History". Shelburne Public Library. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  4. Beckman, Margaret; Langemead, Stephen; Black, John (1984). The Best Gift: A Record of the Carnegie Libraries in Ontario. Dundurn. p. 143. ISBN 9781770700505. shelburne carnegie library.
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