http://www.orilliapacket.com/Article...aspx?e=1478572
A vision that likely won't be realized
Posted By COLIN MCKIM
I made this pitch several years ago. Nobody listened then. And nobody in a position to make something happen will listen now.
But like a voice crying in the wilderness, I will lay out my vision for a downtown worthy of a community that gave birth to legendary figures such as Jake Gaudaur, Gordon Lightfoot and Franklin Carmichael while inspiring the comic genius of Stephen Leacock.
Lets be honest -- the plan for the new library, in both its design and configuration, creates as many problems as it solves.
The footprint, like a clown shoe, is too big for the available space, crushing part of the farmers' market and further crowding a civic space that needs to breathe more green air, not less.
We have a chance now to undo the damage done when the original Carnegie Library, perfectly proportioned as a companion to the Opera House, was defaced by a grotesque, oversized white-brick addition in the 1960s.
In my opinion, a restoration of the original library, part of the original new library plan, still makes aesthetic sense, freeing up more open space not consuming it, as the current L-shaped library supported by council will.
I would like to see a restored Carnegie library used as a civic museum recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of our native sons and daughters in arts, letters, sports, politics, cartooning and any other endeavor where Orillia residents have made their mark.
An Orillia Hall of Fame. We need to elevate and celebrate our heros and heroines, give them pride of place in the living heart of the downtown.
Oarsman Jake Gaudaur, just to name one outstanding Orillian, was the world single sculls champion for six years in the 1890s when rowing was the premier test of athletic skill in all of sport. Can you picture a full-size rowing shell, hanging like a flying chariot from the ceiling of the main room in the hall of fame, a symbol of this city's highest accomplishment?
We could design exhibits depicting Leacock's Mariposa, the blossoming of Lightfoot's musical career, maybe a Carmichael painting blown up to cover an entire wall. Works of Arthur Shilling blazing in a room dedicated to Ojibway Dreams.
The barren slope of asphalt where the farmers' market bursts into life on Saturdays should be transformed into a proper civic square for people as much as cars.
So where would the main market go? The obvious place -- bigger and brighter than the space now used -- is the big parking lot on Coldwater Street, opposite Central School. The city leases this 96-space lot now. But it should definitely be purchased and developed for dual-use, parking lot and Saturday market. A Victorianstyle open-air pavilion in the centre would define the space and provide shelter on rainy days. Glass panels in the roof could let in natural light.
And Central School? Now surplus to the needs of the board of education, this is the obvious building to convert into a library, preserving the ornate two-tone brick exterior with Italianate gables and the original bell tower. Built in 1882, this old Ontario classic is an architectural showpiece and should be lovingly preserved. The interior could be reshaped, possibly by building a steel reinforced shell inside. At the rear there is ample room for an addition to provide all the space a new library requires.
As part of the renovation to convert the historic school into a library, space could be created for an indoor farmers' market. Or the pavilion on the lot on the opposite side of the street could have removeable or roll-up walls, which could be put in place in the cold months to shelter vendors and shoppers.
So stepping back, we have the Opera House and Orillia Hall of Fame in the restored Carnegie Library set off by a civic centre and artisans market. Then a block to the east there would be a new and larger main market defined by a grand Victorian-style pavilion and to the north, the renovated and expanded Central School/library would provide a splendid backdrop.
Standing out in the skyscape surrounding the new market would be the brick tower of the Peter Street fire hall, church steeples and the twin spires of the Opera House.
Space, light, character, style coherence -- my vision has it all.
That's why it will never fly.
Orillia Library/museum
