The Stanley A. Milner Library is the flagship branch of the

Edmonton Public Library The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is a public library system in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Library cards are free to all Edmontonians; as part of its centennial in 2013, the Edmonton Public Library eliminated membership fees. Universi ...

. It is located on the southern side of Sir Winston Churchill Square in the

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada. The main library is near walking distance to the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, the

Edmonton City Centre Edmonton City Centre is a shopping mall in the downtown core of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, across the street (west) from Churchill Square. History In 1974, the City Centre Place office tower (Oxford Tower) was completed within the larger Edmon ...

mall, the

Francis Winspear Centre for Music The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a performing arts centre located in the downtown core of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1997, it is the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The centre is named after Francis G. Winspear, who d ...

, and the

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

. In January 2017, the library closed its doors for a major renovation, as all but the basic structure was removed to be rebuilt with an architectural design similar to that of the

Art Gallery of Alberta The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is an art museum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum occupies an building at Churchill Square (Edmonton), Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton. The museum building was originally designed by Donald G. Bittor ...

located a few blocks away. Its services were relocated to a temporary space on Jasper Avenue in Enterprise Square. The new Stanley A. Milner Library, along with the new Shelley Milner Children's Library opened on September 17, 2020. The building is directly connected to the underground pedway network and to Edmonton's

LRT Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

. A number of ETS bus routes also serve the library along Harbin Road (102 Avenue) and 100 Street. Underground parking, run by the city, is also available. The Stanley A. Milner Library is also a centre for assistive services. Specialized magnifiers, projection reading rooms, large print books, braille material, voice dictation stations, and specialized computers are available as part of the library's mission to provide information access to all.

History

The Stanley A. Milner Library was opened in 1967 on the southern edge of Churchill Square. Architect was the Canadian/Norwegian Dr. Fred Minsos. The site of the library was originally home to Market Square, Edmonton's main square and city market from 1900 to 1965. Although the square and market were considered a hub of Edmonton's community, the city wished to create a more dedicated civic centre.Merrett, 117 The city had already built and relocated

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

to its current location in 1956 and, in conjunction with the new

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

completed in 1969, the library was designed to form part of this new centre. The library replaced the original downtown library, which was located two blocks south on MacDonald Drive. The original downtown library was funded by a donation from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

and completed in 1923 (a temporary downtown library had existed prior to this). The building was small though, and the city's growth boom in the post-WWII years fueled demand for a larger building. The new building was designed in the

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

style, common for many public buildings constructed in Edmonton in the 1960s, and would cost . It features a cantilevered second level above a smaller lower level, exposed concreted, plate glass window walls, podium pillars, and a four-story tower atop it. It opened on May 27, 1967, and was originally named the "Centennial Library" in honour of the

Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. Commemorative coins were m ...

that year. The small public square on the south side of the library building was also named "Centennial Square". The original downtown library was sold and demolished in 1968, to make room for the

Alberta Government Telephones Alberta Government Telephones (AGT) was the telephone provider in most of Alberta from 1906 to 1991. AGT was formed by the Liberal Party of Alberta, Liberal government of Alexander Cameron Rutherford in 1906Wilson, Kevin G., Deregulating Teleco ...

Tower (today

ATB Place ATB Place, formerly Telus Plaza, is an office complex in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Originally built as the headquarters of Alberta Government Telephones (AGT), the two office towers in the complex–ATB Place Tower and Telus House Edmonton – ser ...

). Direct connection to Edmonton's underground pedway system was added in 1978 when construction was completed on the original

line downtown. The library is connected to

Churchill LRT Station Churchill station is an Edmonton LRT station in Edmonton, Alberta. It serves the Capital Line, Metro Line, and Valley Line (Edmonton), Valley Line. An underground station beneath Churchill Square (Edmonton), Churchill Square serves the Capital a ...

, and can also reach most of the nearby arts and civic centre buildings through the pedway. In 1996 the library was officially renamed the "Stanley A. Milner Library," in honour of petroleum business leader, philanthropist, former city councilor, and former Library Board Chairman Dr. Stanley A. Milner. The first major renovation project to the library was completed in 1999, which saw the addition of a new front entrance facing Churchill Square, along with many interior upgrades. In 2010, the newly renovated children's library was reopened and named in honour of Dr. Milner's late daughter, Shelley Milner. The Stanley A. Milner Library had a number of meeting rooms and a small theater in the lower level, that were used for library programs and would also be rented out by the public. The library temporarily closed in January 2017 for major revitalization of the building. The building reopened on September 17, 2020.

Future

The Stanley A. Milner Library is the largest and one of the busiest

locations. It was still very up to date with assistive services, accessibility, and information technologies. However, The building was now over 50 years old and was beginning to show its age. As is common with many of Edmonton's

buildings of the era, the exposed concrete and other materials in the library were beginning to fail from years of weathering. Aging mechanical system designs have also led to ventilation concerns and wasted energy costs. In addition, there have been safety concerns regarding the front entrance of the library facing Churchill Square. The narrow sidewalk and busy bus stop just outside the entrance on 102 Avenue, has led to many congestion and safety problems. Digital wall at the Stanley A

In response to these concerns, the increasing cost and inefficiencies of the aging building, and a general misfit with the other, now more modern buildings in the civic and arts area, the city commissioned the architectural firm of Manasc Isaac to look into a "re-imagination" of the current building. The proposal would involve removal and replacement of the exterior walls, a new front entrance, and revamped interior with updated mechanical systems. The primary structure and layout of the building, however, would not be changed. This would provide significant cost-savings in comparison to completely replacing the building, while still transforming it into a modern, energy efficient space. Construction started in January 2017, and the library was expected to reopen on February 14, 2020; however, this target was not met. The library has access to the three lines on the LRT system from Churchill station, with the Valley Line running past the library at street level on 102 Avenue. The library officially opened on September 17, 2020. Future developments at the newly reopened Milner Branch include a

Second Cup Second Cup is a Canadian coffeehouse chain and retailer of specialty coffee headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. Its stores sell hot and cold beverages, pastries, snacks, pre-packaged food items, sandwiches, and drinkware, including mugs and ...

location, a renewed Muttart Theatre and the EPL Kitchen, a 2,100 square foot culinary centre that will provide creative and educational opportunities relating to health, nutrition and food literacy.

Schools served

As part of Edmonton Public Library's regional division, the Stanley A. Milner Library serves the following nearby schools: *Centre High School *Edmonton Academy *Holy Child Elementary School *John A. McDougall Elementary School *Mother Teresa Elementary School *Oliver Elementary/Junior High School *Riverdale Elementary School *St. Catherine Elementary/Junior High School *

St. Joseph High School St. Joseph's School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, St Joseph's School, St Joseph's Catholic School, and variants are frequently used school names, and may refer to: Africa *St Joseph's School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Asia * St. Joseph Higher Secon ...

Victoria School of the Arts Victoria School of the Arts (formerly Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts) is a public school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, operated by Edmonton Public Schools, offering students from kindergarten through grade 12 an International Baccal ...

Notes

References

External links