A planned rooftop garden atop Vancouver Central Library is finally set to open to the public after years of delay.
A greenspace has been in place since the construction of the library back in 1995, but has never opened to the public.
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The garden will open its doors on Saturday at 10 a.m. as part of an approximately $16-million project that will see the building’s top two floors renovated.
The greenspace is part of a series of library upgrades, including community gathering spaces, meeting rooms for rent, a reading room, exhibition spaces and an 80-seat theatre.
Vancouver Public Library chief librarian Christina de Castell said they want the space to bring people together, highlighting a 2017 study from the Vancouver Foundation that “talked about people in Vancouver looking for more places to connect with each other.”
“That’s really what we’re addressing here.”
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— With files from Ted Chernecki and Jesse Ferreras