{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"Ep. 1 Toronto's Ugliest Building? ","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/698a5cc7f6349d3c6e3f5f1e/1771810054688-696d5981-62e0-40f0-b728-d50471ec742a.jpeg?height=200","description":"

This episode of 'The Unquiet Library' podcast explores the criticisms and emotional reactions surrounding the John P. Robarts Research Library—an iconic and controversial brutalist structure in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Host Jesse Carliner introduces its massive scale and unique design, which has drawn both admiration and ire since its opening in 1973.  


Featuring experts urbanist Shawn Micallef, architectural historian Mary Louise Lobsinger, preservation architect Michael McClelland, and Diamond Schmidt principal architect Gary McCluskie, the episode delves into themes of architectural brutalism, historical context, and the library's profound impact on Toronto’s cultural and architectural landscape.  


The episode also addresses the visceral reactions people have towards the building, debates on whether it is ugly or sublime, and the architectural significance of its design. 

 

00:00 One student’s opinion 

00:23 Introduction 

00:44 About Robarts Library 

01:58 Today’s episode 

02:21 Interview with Shawn Micallef 

11:01 Interview with Mary Louise Lobsinger 

17:00 Interview with Gary McCLuskie 

20:51 Interview with Michael McClelland 

26:50 Is Robarts Library ugly? 

26:52 Conclusion 


To learn more about the history of Robarts Library, visit uoft.me/robarts50. Follow us @unquietlibrarypodcast on Instagram, Blue Sky or TikTok for additional content and updates. 

 

Learn more about concrete architecture in Toronto:  

McClelland, Michael, and Graeme Stewart. 2004. Concrete Toronto: A Guide to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies. 1st ed. Coach House Books: https://chbooks.com/Books/C/Concrete-Toronto3 


Learn about the architect Ron Thom here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Thom

Learn about Massey College, designed by Rom Thom here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_College,_Toronto

 

Theme music:  

Felipe Sarro, Bach-Siloti - Prelude BWV 855a 

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication 

 

Sound credits: 

yonge_street_02.flac by tim.kahn -- https://freesound.org/s/35556/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 

escaleras_mecanicas_interior_-_metro.mp3 by sonsdebarcelona -- https://freesound.org/s/70146/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0   

2 08 Br Lib amb 5.wav by ERH -- https://freesound.org/s/51632/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 

 

 

","author_name":"Library Communications"}