Dovercourt Branch, Toronto Public Library 1913
Originally named for its local community, the Dovercourt Branch was the first Toronto Public Library building to be constructed solely with funds from the City of Toronto, and without the aid of Carnegie grants. Designed by the Toronto firm Chapman and McGiffin, Architects, the branch is a Beaux Arts adaptation of the Italian Renaissance style. Its symmetrical plan features a low, hipped roof with extended eaves, Flemish bond brickwork with stone and terracotta detailing, and expansive round-arched windows. Considered the largest library branch in Canada at the time, the building was also noted for the outdoor reading terrace between the wings of its U-shaped plan. It was later renamed the Bloor/Gladstone Branch to indicate more clearly its location. Renovated and expanded in 1976, the building was nearly doubled in size with the completion, in 2009, of a contemporary addition on its western side.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.