Year |
Details |
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. |
1994 |
Toronto Public Library Board is awarded a Certificate of Commendation from the Toronto Historical Board "For sympathetic treatment of additions and interior renovations at the Riverdale Branch Library (1910), 370 Broadview Avenue. Quadrangle Architects Limited, Kayal Construction Limited", 16 May. |
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. Toronto's Historical Plaques |
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. Reopened 28 September. Celebrates 100 years of service to the community, 2 October. Riverdale Branch history panel (PDF). |