Carnegie Library - Beaches

Photograph of Beaches Library c1916 Beaches Branch, c.1916
Photograph: Toronto Public Library TRL X 71-53

Address: 2161 Queen Street East
Grant Date: May 8, 1908 (promised); February 6, 1915 (regranted)
Recipient: Toronto Public Library Board
Architect: Eden Smith & Sons
Opened: 1916, December 6

Beaches Branch on the Digital Archive

Beaches Branch was constructed at the northeast corner of Kew Gardens on a site provided by the City of Toronto, despite opposition from local residents and the Parks Committee to having a building on park property. Mayor Tommy Church laid the cornerstone for the new library on October 29, 1915. It replaced a storefront library that the Toronto Public Library Board had opened on Queen Street East at the northeast corner of Hambly Avenue on February 23, 1914.

Beaches was the last of three identical branches (Wychwood and High Park were the other two) that the Toronto Public Library built with a $50,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Chief Librarian George Locke described the design by Eden Smith & Sons "after the fashion of the Collegiate Grammar School of the Seventeenth Century in England," as "a decided revolt in style from the traditional library architecture"1

Building Beaches Branch, 1910-1916 (PDF)

Beaches Branch history panel (2016) (PDF)

Major Alterations

1980 Renovation and addition by Stinson Montgomery Sisam Architects. Reopened 26 September. Addition demolished 2004.

2004-05 Renovation and addition by Phillip H. Carter and Kingsland + Architects Inc. Closed 17 April 2004. Reopened 20 January 2005; officially reopened 22 January 2005.

One-ton cast bronze owl designed by architect Phillip H. Carter and artisan Ludzer Vandermolen installed at the branch entrance, 7 July 2005.

Heritage Status

1979 Listed on Inventory of Heritage Properties, adopted by Toronto City Council, October 1.

2006 Heritage plaque presented by Heritage Toronto in partnership with Toronto Public Library, September 30. Toronto's Historical Plaques.

1 Toronto Public Library, Annual Report, 1916, 11.

Carnegie Library - Beaches, 1923

The photograph is from a page in "A Community Survey," compiled by Beaches Branch staff in the 1920s. From the very beginning, Beaches Branch was an important part of the Beach neighbourhood. Picture exhibitions started in 1916, Booklovers' Evenings in 1921, the Beaches Library Drama League in 1924, and a Music Hour in 1929. Beaches Branch was a pioneer among public libraries in reaching out to the community in this way. The innovative work attracted attention not only in Canada, but also in the United States. The Christian Science Monitor of 2 June 1927 reported: "Some interesting experiments of community service are being carried out in the Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library. . . . Today, it exerts a real influence not only in the cultural but in the social and business life of the district." 1

1"Experiments in community service, Beaches Branch, Toronto" Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 1927.

Carnegie Library - Beaches, 2005

Library opens ahead of schedule

by Jon Muldoon

After nine very long months for avid readers, the newly renovated Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library on Queen Street is set to reopen later this month. The branch closed on April 17 last year, and is complete three months ahead of schedule.

The building was dedicated in 1915, and completed a year later, with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Two other branches with the same design were built with the grant money at the same time.

The new design adds over 1,000 square feet of space to the renovation done in 1981, for a total of 7,800 square feet.

An obvious new feature is the restoration of the original library entrance, now facing Queen Street. Along with dozens of boxes of new books the branch also features all new furniture and shelving. Windows line the walls of the rebuilt west wing, looking out over Queen Street and Kew Gardens.

A new room dedicated to programming will be available for public rental. A full-service elevator links the two floors of the branch, and there are new dedicated sections for teens and for local history.

Some of the original features from the 1916 building have been restored and emphasized by architect Phillip H. Carter, working with Kingsland + Architects. The impressive high ceiling has been restored, and duct work rerouted to show off the wood arches that support the roof. A 'minstrel's gallery,' a loft at the north end of the building, has been restored as a quiet study area with tall windows overlooking Queen.

Decor and lighting has been made to match the original Arts and Crafts style.

The branch will reopen for business at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 20. An official grand opening, with music and kids' entertainment planned, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 22.

Article taken from Beach Metro Community News, January 11, 2005


Beaches Outside Beaches outside
Beaches Adult Reading Room Beaches adult reading room, looking south
Beaches Lamp Beaches lamp and staircase
Beaches Reading Area Beaches reading area looking south to Kew Gardens