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.