Edmonton Public Library And Attached Gates

The Edmonton Public Library, designed by Maurice B. Adams, was built in 1897 and features an extension added in 1931 by Cuthbert Brown in a style that complements the original structure. The library is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings and has a hipped slate roof. It stands three storeys tall with a three-window range and presents a symmetrical façade highlighted by a prominent stone entrance bay that features stacked orders and a segmental gable at the parapet. Each side of the entrance bay ends in a scroll Dutch gable. The ground floor has Diocletian windows flanking the entrance, which are flat arched above and segmental at the gable. Notably, the outer corners have unusual angle buttresses, with the left one adorned with elaborate floral carving. The left side of the building has three windows and a central Dutch gable, leading down to a single-storey wing from 1931 that includes a stone aedicule entrance. The right side mirrors the motifs of the front elevation. An inspection in 1990 revealed two relief portrait plaques in the entrance vestibule, created by George Frampton ARA in 1898, depicting local residents John Keats and Charles Lamb, funded by a separate endowment from Passmore Edwards. The interior has few distinctive features, though the entrance hall is notable, and the rear extension includes columns and a coffered ceiling worth mentioning. The entrance porch is adorned with original metal gates.