Riverdale

Closest major intersection Gerrard Street East and Broadview Ave. Located on northwest corner of Broadview Ave. and Gerrard Street East. City Parking lot located on Gerrard Street East, south side west of Broadview Ave.

Public Transit

Closest subway station Broadview.
TTC streetcars King #504, Dundas #505, Carlton #506, all stop in front of the branch at all corners of Broadview & Gerrard.

Parking

Free - Limited street parking on side streets. Paid - Toronto Parking Authority 573 Gerrard St. East.

General Features

• Book Drop - After Hours
• Express Checkout
• Pedometer Lending
• Seating for 100

Equipment for persons with disabilities

• Computer with at least 28" clearance under table top
• Computer(s) with screen magnification software (Zoomtext) (2)
• Magnifiers - hand held or stand
• Page turner

Technology

• Computer Learning Centre (14 computers)
• Internet/Microsoft Office workstations (19 including Learning Centre)
• Wireless (Wi-Fi)

Collections

• Adult Literacy Materials
• Audiobooks on CD
• Large Print
• Local History Collection

Language

• Large collection in Chinese
• Medium collection in French (children)
• Small collection in Vietnamese

1888	Eastern Branch opens on 31 October in rented premises at the rear of Poulton's Block, Queen Street East and the northwest corner of Boulton Avenue.
1903	Andrew Carnegie grants $350,000 to Toronto Public Library for a new central library and three branch buildings, 23 January. Toronto's Carnegie Libraries-Riverdale
1906	Riverdale Business Men's Association is organized in April and begins to lobby for a permanent library branch in Riverdale.
1909	The City of Toronto provides an 85 x 84-foot (25m) site for the new branch on part of the Toronto (Don) Jail Governor's garden on Gerrard Street East at the northwest corner of Broadview Avenue. City Architect Robert McCallum (1851-1916) designs Riverdale Branch. Construction contracts are awarded on 16 July.
1910	Eastern Branch closes in June with readers tickets issued at this location "honoured at Central [Library] until the new Riverdale Branch is ready." (Toronto Globe, 22 June 1910). Riverdale Branch opens, 19 October.
1928	Boys and Girls addition opens on 23 January. "The new building, a unique one of its kind, the plans of which were designed and drawn by our Superintendent of Buildings, Mr. William S. Butler, [on 22 April 1927] under the supervision of Dr. Locke [George H. Locke, chief librarian), has been erected at a cost of $18,883.73, the funds, being derived from the proceeds of the sale of bonds, originally bought by the sale of the Lombard Street property." (Toronto Public Library, Annual Report, 1927, p.6). The addition was built on part of the Toronto Jail grounds north of the branch, with a "frontage of 44 feet on Broadview Avenue widening in the rear to 62 feet 3 inches and having a maximum depth of 134 feet 8 inches", transferred to the Library Board by the City of Toronto in 1927 (City of Toronto Council Minutes, 1927, Committee on Property, Report No. 10, p. 767-70).
1937	"Modernized" by the Commissioner of Buildings and City Architect, Kenneth S. Gillies. "The modernization of Riverdale Branch was completed without closing the Library for a single day beyond the ordinary provision for summer periods". (Toronto Public Library, Board Minutes, 14 September 1937).
1969	Closed for repairs following a fire set by vandals on 10 November; reopened on 1 December.
1973	The Chinese language collection is established.
1977	Listed on Inventory of Heritage Properties adopted by Toronto City Council, 6 February.
1979-80	Renovation by Hancock & Simpson Architects. Construction contract is awarded 1 August 1979. Branch officially reopens on 10 April 1980.
1991-93	Renovation by Quadrangle Architects. Closed 2 December 1991 and reopened 29 March 1993.
1998	Becomes a branch of the Toronto Public Library with municipal amalgamation, 1 January.
2000	Open 10 additional hours per week starting 3 July.
2005	Temporary Sunday service hours starting 17 April (during Pape/Danforth closure for renovations) to 25 June 2006.
2006	Heritage plaque presented by Heritage Toronto in partnership with Toronto Public Library. Plaque text (PDF)
2007	New hours, 8 January. Open hours per week increased from 60.5 to 62.
2010	Closed for renovations and installation 29 July. Quadrangle Architects. Re-opened 28 September. Celebrates 100 years of service to the community, 2 October.

For booking information call 416-397-5969.

Meeting room

• 800 sq. ft
• Seats 66 lecture style. 48 classroom style. Fire Code Occupancy: 80.
• Equipment:
  • chairs
  • flip chart stand
  • projection screen (ceiling mounted)
  • tables
  • whiteboard

The Meeting Room is beside the Adult Department. Wheelchair accessible washrooms are near the library entrance.