Cornish Library closes for upgrades

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This article was published 22/05/2018 (2680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the city’s first libraries will be closed for the next year as it undergoes renovations.

The Cornish Library, located in Armstrong’s Point, is slated to reopen next summer after receiving upgrades that will make it more accessible. Located on the river, the site will also see some bank rehabilitation to retain as much soil as possible.

Administrative co-ordinator for the library Betty Parry said this will be the first renovation that the 104-year-old building has ever seen.

“It was built originally with the same footprint it has now,” Parry said. “It was built originally as a library. It was a legacy from Andrew Carnegie. And in 1913, a Winnipeg city council recognized the benefits of well-supported public libraries, and Cornish was built. Shortly after that St. John’s was built, and before that it was the William Avenue Library, which is no longer a library.”

Parry said that because of the era in which it was built, it’s currently not accessible to people who use wheelchairs.

“You have to climb stairs to get in and out of the building… so you can’t use the washrooms unless you can climb stairs,” Parry said. “It was also in need of a redesign to maximize floor space and meet the demands of today’s user. There’s not a lot of electric outlets in it, which everybody needs with their own devices.”

Besides upgrading existing space, the plan includes adding 780 square-feet to the south of the building — right along the Maryland bridge — for an open reading area.

“And that’s where we will have a universal toilet room… gender neutral as well as accessible to someone in a wheelchair,” Parry said.

She says that the plan includes levelling the front stairs for improved access and a lift inside the building.

“That’s what’s going to go down to the lower level where our programs are and our new tutorial rooms, so it will be more bookable by community groups to use,” Parry said.

The project is estimated to cost $2.8 million, with $1.5 million coming from the city and another $1.25 million from the Winnipeg Library foundation.

Parry, who has been at the Cornish Library since ’82, says these improvements have been a long time coming.

“It is so needed and so exciting,” she said. “It’s so exciting that the city is willing to invest taxpayer money into libraries. It’s very positive.”

A lot of the existing wood panelling, flooring and even bookshelves are in good condition and will still be used. Parry said it’s less about upkeep than excellent craftsmanship in the original pieces. New items will include a mobile sculpture by local artist Michael Dumontier commissioned by the Winnipeg Arts Council, for the new reading area.

Folks looking for books, services and other resources may wish to visit the West End library, the River Heights library or the Millennium library.