Strathcona Library: Difference between revisions

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| image = Strathcona_Public_Library_Edmonton_Alberta_Canada_01.jpg

| ___location = 8331 104 Street NW<br />[[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]<br />T6E 4E9

| coordinates = {{coord|53.5199|-113.4976|display=inline,title}}

| established = 1913

| website = https://www.epl.ca/locations/EPLSTR/

| architect = Arthur Gordon Wilson & David Easton Herrald

| service_area = [[Old Strathcona]]

| publictransit = {{rint|edmonton|ets}} {{rint|bus|1}} {{rbox|701||royalblue}}
}}

The '''Strathcona Library''', one of the oldest libraries in [[Alberta]], completed in 1913, was the first library erected in the City of Edmonton.<ref name="Just Getting Started: Edmonton Public Library's First 100 years, 1913-2013">{{cite book|last=Babiak|first=Todd|title=Just Getting Started: Edmonton Public Library's First 100 years, 1913-2013|year=2013|publisher=[[The University of Alberta Press and The Edmonton Public Library]]|pages=17–23}}</ref> Nevertheless, the Strathcona Library does have a complex background as to its historical status within the [[Edmonton Public Library]] system.<ref>{{cite book |title=First annual report of the Edmonton Public Library and Strathcona Public Library |year=1913 |___location=Edmonton |id={{ASIN|1528043901|country=uk}} }}</ref> It is located on 104th Street, a block off of [[Whyte Avenue]] in the heart of [[Old Strathcona]]. Situated next to [[Wilbert McIntyre]] Park, the iconic Old Strathcona Gazebo, and the year-round Old Strathcona Farmer's Market, the Strathcona Library is often a central gathering area for much of the local community. During the annual [[Edmonton International Fringe Festival]] in the surrounding area, the Strathcona Library often hosts a large booksale to help shift aging and excess material from [[Edmonton Public Library|Edmonton Public Library's]] circulation.

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[[File:Andrew Carnegie, three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing slightly left, 1913-crop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The American philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] had his offer rejected by the library's board]]

In 1897, the Strathcona Library Society was formed, with the idea to build a public library in the young city of [[Strathcona, Alberta|Strathcona]]. In 1910, a petition from citizens was eventually presented to the city council, officially requesting the construction of the library. The city quickly bought up the land for $6,250 from a local farmer, and organized the Strathcona Library Board. The American philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] eventually offered the city $15,000 to build a small, standardized library. However, the board did not feel this would provide the library they were hoping to build, and they declined Carnegie's offer. Costs for the new library were eventually paid for as part of the agreement when Strathcona and Edmonton amalgamated in 1912.<ref name="Herzog">{{cite journal|last=Herzog|first=Lawrence|date=21 October 2010|title=Strathcona Public Library|journal=Real Estate Weekly|volume=28|issue=42|url=http://www.rewedmonton.ca/content_view_rew?CONTENT_ID=2961|accessdate=19 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323145743/http://www.rewedmonton.ca/content_view_rew?CONTENT_ID=2961|archive-date=23 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Strathcona Public Library, 1913, Glenbow Archives, na-1328-769.jpg|thumb|307x307px|Strathcona Public Library (1913), Edmonton, Alberta ]]

Construction began in 1912, and the new library was opened on March 13, 1913 by ex-Strathcona Mayor John Joseph Duggan and Edmonton Mayor William Short. Final cost of the library was approximately $27,000. The library was popular upon opening, and boasted an impressive circulation for the size of Edmonton at the time. The first minor renovation was completed in 1948, which converted the original men's-only reading room in the basement into a children's library.<ref name="Herzog" />

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==Architecture==

The original building was designed by the firm of Arthur G. Wilson and David E. Herrald.<ref name="Herzog" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilson, Arthur Gordon |url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/394 |access-date=May 21, 2025 |website=Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800 - 1950}}</ref> Although a local duo, their design borrowed heavily from their British roots. It is a simplified English Renaissance Revival Style, common for [[Commonwealth of Nations|commonwealth]] buildings of the [[Edwardian age]]. Although grand in appearance, with ionic columns and limestone cornices on the exterior and intricate carved wood on the interior, the design is far more simplified and streamlined than earlier buildings of the [[Victoria era]]. This is reflected in other nearby buildings of the same age, such as [[Old Scona Academic High School]].

==Schools served==

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[[Category:Registered Historic Resources in Edmonton]]

[[Category:Renaissance Revival architecture in Canada]]

[[Category:Edwardian architecture in Canada]]

[[Category:1913 establishments in Alberta]]

[[Category:Libraries established in 1913]]