City of Perth Library
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31°57′18″S 115°51′40″E / 31.9551°S 115.8612°E
The City of Perth Library is a public library service provided by the City of Perth. The library is located on Hay Street, next to the Perth Town Hall.[1] It is part of the redevelopment of Cathedral Square, located between St Georges Terrace and Hay, Barrack and Pier Streets.[2]
Prior to the completion of the current building in 2016, the library had been based at a number of locations, most recently 140 William Street in the Perth CBD.[3]
The City of Perth library is separate in operations from the other major library in Perth, the State Library of Western Australia at the Alexander Library Building.
History[edit]
The City of Perth Library has, since its inception, been housed in a number of locations. The site is situated where the library had previously been housed in a now demolished building, in the basement.[4]
The earliest predecessor of the library was the Swan River Mechanics' Institute which was established in 1851.[5] The name was changed in 1909 to Perth Literary Institute, and in 1957 the City of Perth renamed and took over the library as the City of Perth Library.[6]
The subsequent buildings were Council House on St Georges Terrace (1963–1995), Law Chambers Building (1995–2012),[7] and 140 William Street (2012–2015).[3]
Current building[edit]
Kerry Hill Architects were awarded the design tender for a new library in 2011.[8] The City of Perth awarded the $33 million construction contract to Doric Contractors, which began building works in 2013.[9] The library is the first civic building to be built by the City of Perth since the Perth Concert Hall in 1972.[10] Completion was expected by the end of 2014.[11] The new library opened on 1 March 2016.[12]
The library has a circular design with seven floors, glass facades, and stone-clad columns.[13] The building includes a 13-metre-tall (43 ft) vertical garden, the tallest in Perth, with more than 3500 plants.[14] The ceiling features a mural by artist Andrew Nicholls entitled Delight and Hurt Not, depicting the final act of Shakespeare's The Tempest illustrated with Western Australian flora and fauna.
Gallery[edit]
-
Northwest view of the Library -
Level One of the library -
Staircase inside the library -
Tree of Knowledge -
The Library and the State Buildings
References[edit]
- ^ "New City Library". City of Perth. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ "Masterplan". Cathedral and Treasury Precinct. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Library and History Centre Location & Contact". City of Perth. 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ^ [1] Alia notes from 2005
- ^ "Advertising". Inquirer. No. 553. Western Australia. 5 February 1851. p. 2. Retrieved 11 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Jo Darbyshire (2016) Peruse - A History of the City of Perth Library 1851-2016 Perth, City of Perth Library.
- ^ Exact location of the new 2016 library
- ^ "Kerry Hill designs Perth library: first civic building in 35 years". Architecture & Design. Cirrus Media. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ "Doric wins city library build". One Perth. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ Emery, Kate (24 September 2014). "Library creates new look for city". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ "Plans unveiled for new Perth library". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ "New City of Perth Library". City of Perth. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "City of Perth Library and public plaza". Doric Group. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ Baker, Emily (23 September 2014). "Tall order for landscaper". Guardian Express. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- City of Perth Library page at the Cathedral Square website
