Neoclassical

A symmetrical courtyard with a central statue and fountain, surrounded by neatly trimmed trees, leads to a yellow two-story building with arched windows, a clock, and a gabled roof under a partly cloudy sky.

Biblioteca dell’Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio

Thanks to a generous donor, this palace once welcomed the sick and the poor and now hosts a major research library.
Exterior of a small Neoclassical library. It is a symmetrical, single-story brick building. The entrance door is framed by a pediment supported by four columns on top of a flight of stairs. The words "Public Library, erected 1906" are engraved on the pediment. A fan window above the door bears the words "Yorkville branch, 22 Yorkville Avenue". In front of the library, a modern sign reads "tpl: Toronto Public Library". There is snow on the ground and the sky is overcast.

Yorkville Library, Toronto

This elegant Carnegie building is the oldest library in Toronto.
Interior of a classical library with dark wood shelves adorned with intricate black iron railings. plaster busts on consoles and oil portraits. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

Nova Scotia Legislative Library, Halifax

Inside the oldest seat of government in Canada, the Nova Scotia Legislative Library is a gem of Victorian craftsmanship.
Interior of a large neoclassical chapel. The main part of the room is used as a meeting space, with movable chairs, while the front is closed off by a glass wall and contains a library.

Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, Montréal

Long hidden behind drab ceiling tiles, the unveiling of the former chapel at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montréal in 2004 also marked the renaissance of one of the oldest libraries on the continent.