Perhaps you’ve heard it called Fort Book. It’s quite a nickname, isn’t it? We are standing before the John P. Robarts Research Library. Most people just call it Robarts Library. This isn’t just any library. It is the University of Toronto’s main hub for humanities and social sciences.
Robarts Library is the largest individual library within the University of Toronto Libraries. The library opened in 1973. It was named after John Robarts. He was the 17th Premier of Ontario. Inside, you will find over 4.5 million books, plus millions of other items.
The architecture of Robarts Library is hard to miss. It is an example of brutalist design. The towering structure sits on an equilateral triangle. You’ll notice triangular patterns everywhere. It is part of a three-tower complex. The complex includes the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The Claude T. Bissell Building is also part of the complex.
Mathers & Haldenby Architects designed the Robarts Library complex. They consulted with Warner, Burns, Toan & Lunde. This New York firm specialized in precast concrete buildings. Construction started in 1968. It cost over 40 million dollars.
Robarts Library sits on a 3-acre site. Each side of the triangle is 330 feet long. That’s the same length as a Canadian football field. From the southeast, some say the building looks like a peacock.
The exterior is mostly concrete. Smooth concrete lines the facade horizontally. Rough concrete lines it vertically. Steel-framed windows protrude from the facade. These windows resemble towers in a medieval castle.
Inside Robarts Library, there are fourteen stories. There are also two underground floors. The mezzanine level connects Robarts Library to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. It also connects to the Claude T. Bissell Building. The concrete waffle slab floors feature triangular patterns. A hexagonal atrium sits at the core of the building. The gross area of the building is over 1,036,000 square feet.
The Robarts Library has undergone renovations. In 2008, the university announced a significant upgrade. The first phase finished in 2011. Renovations created a more welcoming environment. The renovations added informal study spaces. These spaces also provide information about the library’s resources. Signage was redesigned to improve navigation. New touch screens provide information. For example, they show the number of available workstations on each floor.
In 2022, Robarts Common opened. This five-story pavilion added 1,200 new study spaces. That brings the total number of study spaces to over 6,000. Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated designed the renovations.
Back in 1974, a Canadian Architect article highlighted the library’s importance. It serves a large campus community. It also acts as central storage for recorded knowledge. Initially, only graduate students could use the library. But after a student protest, undergraduate students gained access too. The library once had a mechanical book conveyor belt system. However, it was discarded after Robarts opened to all students.
Robarts Library houses special collections. These include the Mu Collection. It is a set of rare books from China. The Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library is also here. It is the largest research collection for Hong Kong and Canada-Hong Kong studies outside of Hong Kong. The Petro Jacyk Central & East European Resource Centre is also here.
Umberto Eco may have used Robarts Library as a model. He may have modeled it for the secret library in The Name of the Rose. Eco spent time writing the novel at the University of Toronto. The stairwell of the secret library resembles the one in Robarts Library.
Robarts Library even appeared in Resident Evil: Afterlife. It was digitally edited and transplanted to Los Angeles. In the film, it is surrounded by a prison wall and zombies.
So, next time you pass by Robarts Library, remember its history. Think about its architecture. Consider its role in popular culture. It’s more than just a library. It is a landmark.