Architect Grossi wins award for historic library project
Windsor architect Jason Grossi's design work on the John Muir Branch of the Windsor Public Library has earned him a Library Architectural and Design Transformation Award from the Ontario Library Association.
One of three libraries to receive the recognition, which is presented once every three years, the award notes not only the stunning design but the functional aspects of the building as well.
“I was honoured and surprised to receive the award,” said Grossi, who along with Windsor Public Library CEO Kitty Pope, attended a virtual award ceremony.
“It's not only the fact that they've recognized the esthetic aspects of the library … what's really meaningful about this one is that it's an award from the Ontario Library Association so it's dealing specifically in terms of … library function. Dealing with how people use the library.
“This is looking at its actual intended purpose and awarding it that way as well.”
The library branch is an adaptive reuse of a 1921 fire station and an adjacent horse and hay loft stable dating back to the mid-1800s.
The $5.5-million, 7,400-squarefoot library, located at 393 Mill St., links both historic structures via a suspended steel cable bridge that resolves differing floor elevations.
The design includes a three-storey hose tower, now an observation tower, with an 11-foot glass top.
Mayor Drew Dilkens said the library branch could have been built from the ground up for probably half the price but the decision was made to invest in the heritage of the city.
“Certainly we spent a lot of money renovating these two particular buildings to ensure that we were preserving our own heritage in Sandwich Town, the oldest part of the city,” Dilkens said.
“To have recognition for the architect and to the city for the investment that we made in preserving heritage, I'm really pleased to receive that and I'm thankful that they considered us.”
The branch was previously awarded a Built Heritage Award from the City of Windsor and the Lieutenant-governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation.
Grossi, principal architect at studio g+g and a professor at the University of Windsor, specializes in restoration as well as design.
He said he believes everyone who worked on the project is thrilled with the award.
“The project has required a tremendous amount of effort from everybody on the team … the library board, the library staff who were extremely helpful, the City of Windsor, my consultants,” Grossi said. “So many people dedicated so much effort to making this a success.
“Windsor, in terms of its design prowess, has not really fared all that well but with this project we've been competing against some of the heavy hitters and we've been succeeding,” he added. “It's been really rewarding that way.”
The Ontario Library Association also recognized the Stayner Branch of the Clearview Public library and the University of Toronto's University College Library, designed by two of “probably the most significant architectural firms working in the GTA” — Lebel & Bouliane and Kohn Shnier + ERA Architects in Association, respectively — Grossi said.
“Libraries are places for people to participate in programs, to study, learn and read,” said Shelagh Paterson, OLA executive director. “This category challenges communities to not only think about the current needs of their library, but the library of the future.”