Lillian H. Smith Library

The other day, I attended a "Memoir Writing" session at the Lillian H Smith Library.
This unique structure was designed by Architect Phillip H. Carter, and has been described as one of Toronto's most "happily eccentric buildings".
The huge arched entrance way is guarded by a winged lion and griffin.
It almost gives you a feeling of a medieval castle.



As you can see from the picture below, the building is square on the outside.....




..............but it is circular on the inside.


There is a curved staircase with torches lighting your way down to the meeting rooms in the basement.



Aside from the architecture, this library is home to The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, as well The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books.

The library was named after Lillian Helena Smith, a children's librarian, who, among other things, introduced a new classification designed to organize books in a way more suited to children's collections.

Francis Loring and Florence Wyle

An article in Spacing Magazine this month, prompted me to explore the history of two prominent female sculptors who once lived right here in Toronto, at 110 Glenrose Avenue.

The plaque in front of the house partially reads:

“This board and batten building, originally the schoolhouse for Christ Church, Deer Park, was acquired in 1920 by Frances Loring and Florence Wyle. Sculpting in the classical tradition, they achieved national prominence, and executed many impressive public works, among which are Loring’s Sir Robert Borden on Parliament Hill and Wyle’s Edith Cavell in Toronto….”

This is a bust of Frances Loring, sculpted by Florence Wyle.

Both were born in the US, and met at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1905.

They later shared a studio in New York's Greenwich Village, until they moved to a place on Lombard Street, in downtown Toronto.
They were viewed as radicals, by their neighbours and certainly were feminists, as they walked their dogs around town.

They could often be seen wearing trousers, and baggy coats with colourful scarves dangling in the wind.
Their work was their primary focus, and they lived and worked together for over half a century.

This is a bust of Florence Wyle, sculpted by Frances Loring. She made huge sculptures for the Canadian War Memorial, and her lion graces the foot of the Queen Elizabeth Monument.

Wyle on the other hand was captivated by the human body, as you can see from her statue of the Harvester, located in the Loring-Wyle Parkette.

This little plot of land (once was a turnaround loop for a TTC street car) is dedicated to the art and memory of two remarkable women.