The library and the park Central Memorial, Calgary (Alberta)
MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English
Source: Government of Canada – MIL OSI Regional News in English
The library and the Central park Memorial, located just south of downtown Calgary, testify to the efforts officials made to create a new attractive city, and cultivated in the West. Built during the first great economic boom and the demographic of Calgary at the turn of the Twentieth century, they reflect the confidence and optimism that characterized the young city. The library, opened in 1912, is a building inspired by the classical style of the Beaux-Arts equipped with a portico and massive staircase grand. It is among the largest and most imposing of the 125 canadian libraries built with funding from the u.s. philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Together, the library and the park that surrounds it are a center of social, cultural, educational and memorial for Calgarians and Calgariennes for more than a century.
The park, originally called Central park, which was used as a nursery for the young city of Calgary. Inspired by the construction of the new library, the park authorities have designed a plan for the redevelopment of the site, including trails and geometric flower beds developed. William Reader, the influential director of the parks of Calgary from 1913 to 1942, has directed the development of the park and its plantings after 1913, creating a jewel in the municipal and horticultural sectors.
The library has been sponsored by the Calgary Women’s Literary Club under the direction of Annie Davidson, today recognized as one of the pioneers of the cultural of the city. This group had campaigned for years for the creation of a free public library in Calgary, claiming that such an institution would help this growing city of the West to mature. The library was built thanks to the financial contribution of the business man and u.s. philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A firm believer in the importance of public libraries to the community, Carnegie has made donations totalling more than $ 56 million (more than $ 1.5 billion in today’s dollars) toward the end of the Nineteenth century and the early Twentieth to contribute to the construction of libraries everywhere in the world. Three of these libraries were constructed in Alberta.
The Memorial Park Library in Calgary is inspired by the classic style of the Beaux-Arts, with its grand entrance flanked by columns, its rich decorative elements to the exterior, and the interior furnished with elegance. After its inauguration, it soon became a popular place for Calgarians and Calgariennes. Serving as headquarters for various clubs and associations educational, it has become a hub of culture and education, hosting the first exhibition of artistic works of the city. It was the main library of Calgary from 1912 to 1963, then it became a library branch and the headquarters of the archives and research center at the Glenbow museum. It still serves today of library work.
The park is a designed landscape of a classic and strictly symmetrical. It includes flat-band well-developed, paths, lawns, specimens of plants, two water fountains, decorative as well as many monuments, including war memorials. In the center of the park stands an equestrian statue made by the sculptor French-canadian renamed to Louis-Philippe Hébert, was erected in honor of Albertans who fought in the war in South Africa. A statue of a soldier of the First world War is located in front of the library. In 1928, a cenotaph was erected in honor of soldiers who perished during the two world Wars and the Korean war. Now known as the Central park Memorial, this place is a place of memory and welcomes every year the Remembrance day ceremonies.
– 30 –
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure is not be perfect.