First Impressions: What Students Really Think of Robarts Library
In this back-to-school bonus episode of The Unquiet Library, host Jesse Carliner revisits the long-running debate over Robarts Library’s brutalist design—variously described for decades as a fortress, prison, masterpiece, peacock, or turkey—by interviewing incoming University of Toronto students during orientation week about their first impressions. Students comment on the building’s imposing concrete exterior, unusual geometry, and massive scale, often finding it intimidating from the outside but more welcoming, “human,” and full of varied study and social spaces once inside. Several mention campus stories and TikTok lore about what the building is “supposed” to resemble, while others focus on amenities and the role Robarts will play in their academic lives.
To learn more about the architectural history of Robarts Library, including archival photos, visit uoft.me/robarts50
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