Page 51 - A_View_Of_Their_Own_the_Story_of_Westmount

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Retur n to th e Par k
The landscaping
T
here were tw o schools of thought when i t came
to landscaping th e library site an d restoring it to
more of a park-like setting. On ewa s to provide a
heavy screen of trees between th e complex an d
Sherbrooke Street that would se t th e library away
from th e madding crowd. Th e other wa s tous e
thinner plantings to maintain it s visibility from th e
street.
It was a choice between making th e library a
pleasant site for passersby looking in or a quiet spot
for users looking out . Th e Design Team an d city
council chose th e latter.
L
Fountain &
Rose Garden
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The result is a complete reconfiguration of a
large section of park land using landscaping t o ti e
together th e library, greenhouses an d Victoria Hall.
It places three rows of maple trees between Sher-
brooke an d th e library an d moves th e several
previous parking areas into on e central section
immediately south of Sherbrooke. Th e entire area is
now shrouded by 49 ne w maple trees, hedging,
crabapple trees, flowering bushes, a linden grove, a
fountain of falling water an d a rose garden. Th e ne w
driveway stretches from a southern extension of
Arlington Avenue east to an extension of Strathcona
Avenue.
"If you go to a library-in-the-park yo u will have
to drive through a small lane under a canopy of
trees to ge t there," says city director general Bruce
St. Louis. In time, a s th e maples attain their full
height, th e library will become more visible through
the tree trunks, h e says.
"The concept is to restore th e land fo r a library
in th e park. Over time i t evolved into a library in a
parking lot. "
Indeed, Library Drive, with parking o n both
sides, ra n south of f Sherbrooke Street t o form a
circular driveway in front of th e library's east
entrance with additional parking. Th e parking lo t
for Victoria Hall wa s in front of th e library's north
face an d bordering Sherbrooke. More parkingwa s
provided in front of th e flower conservatory along
the north-south ar m of th e lane that ra n behind
Victoria Hall an d west to Lansdowne Avenue. In all,
67 cars could b e accommodated.
In designing th e ne w scheme, world-renowned
landscape architect Da n Kiley, of Charlotte,Ver -
mont, lined either side of th e driveway with Debo-
rah maples
(acerplantanoides Deborah).
Another
thick ro w of trees ha s been planted o n Sherbrooke.
A hedge of Peking cotoneaster surrounds th e lot .
Architect Peter Rose designed an d determined th e
location of th e parking lo t between Sherbrooke an d
the ne w driveway.
The north-south ar m of th e Lansdowne lane
gives wa y to a grove of 22 small leaved lindens
(tilia
condata)
between th e library's ne w north entrance
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