Libraries through the lens Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec (BAnQ)
THOMAS Guignard’s latest Library through the lens takes us to Canada’s Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec (BAnQ) Vieux-Montréal.
The library operates at 10 locations throughout the province of Québec, with this image coming from Montréal. Originally opened in 1910, the building, designed by architects Louis-Zéphirin Gauthier and Joseph-Égilde-Césaire Daoust – famous for their local churches, was a museum attached to the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC) – Canada’s first business school. In 1956, as the business school expanded, the museum was closed and replaced
March 2019
with a library. Thomas says: “When the institution finally outgrew its original building and moved to a new campus in 1970, another library took over, that of Dawson College, who operated in the for- mer HEC buildings until it too outgrew the space in 1988. The space was then briefly used as a theatre before its acqui- sition by the BAnQ in the early 2000s.” Thomas says: “The open atrium design surrounded by delicate balconies supported by gracious cast-iron columns is charac- teristic of the industrial architecture of the early 20th century. The award-winning transformation in the current archives centre by another local architect, Dan Han- ganu and associates perfectly preserved the
period’s optimistic design, even enhancing it with a lovely new spiral staircase. “Today, the room serves as the read- ing room for the provincial archives and genealogy research centre, part of the BAnQ network. Its collection of artifacts and historical records span the history of Québec from first European contact to present day and is a favourite with researchers and biographers, as with the broader public, who are sure to find a quiet, light-filled working spot in one of the city’s most magnificent monuments to learning. Photos and displays illustrate the history of the building and open a fascinating window into Canada’s industrial history.” l Instagram @concretelibraries
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