LAURIE WEIR
After years of dreaming, planning and heavy lifting, the Smiths Falls Public Library reopened Friday, May 30, revealing a fully transformed space—especially on the third floor. And yes, the elevator now reaches the top level, key access and all.
What was once a dated nook with bulky furniture, a tired kitchenette, and covered-over windows is now a bright, flexible programming hub for kids and families. Board chair Chris Cummings helped guide the project from start to finish, just as he did in 2002 when the building underwent its first major restoration in over 50 years.
Back then, crews peeled away drop ceilings and wall-to-wall bookshelves to uncover the bones of a Beaux-Arts masterpiece—arched windows, original lighting fixtures and architectural features long forgotten.
“Even the windows were hidden,” Cummings said. “We didn’t know what was behind the walls. When we pulled them down, it was like opening a time capsule.”
That sense of discovery still echoes throughout the building. The latest renovation, completed this spring, focused on modernizing the third floor while preserving the library’s heritage designation. The front doors were restored using 1920s photos, and where original woodwork couldn’t be saved, it was replicated with care. New additions, such as the elevator and accessible washroom, were placed at the back of the building to meet Ontario’s heritage requirements—visible but distinct, never pretending to be part of the original 1903 structure.
“Heritage rules are clear,” Cummings said. “You’re supposed to know where the old ends and the new begins. It should complement, not copy. So that’s what we did.”
Inside, things are refreshingly modern. Gone are the old couches and heavy chairs. In their place: wide, wipeable tables for crafts and programming, new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, and future plans for tablet chairs—modern seats with built-in work surfaces seen in newer libraries across the province.
The renovated third floor will now host literacy programming with Rideau Roundtable, tutoring sessions, and a robotics camp through STEAMpunks. CEO and Chief Librarian Amanda Foster said they’ve also acquired a public performance licence, allowing weekly Friday movie screenings.
“Not a lot of people know this,” Foster said, “but you need a licence to show movies—even in a library.”
The elevator still requires a key to operate, but it adds a new level of accessibility to a building that once made it difficult for many patrons to reach the top floor. The newly installed accessible washroom means no more hauling glitter-covered kids downstairs after art sessions—a small change, but a meaningful one for families and staff alike.
The library’s stately Beaux-Arts architecture is on full display from Beckwith Street. Photo credit: Laurie Weir.
Is the library finally complete? Not quite.
“In my dream world, Phase Four is a fully accessible, single-storey building,” Foster said with a grin. “But this… this is pretty great. We can’t wait to welcome families back.”
Jenifer Brown, who works on children’s programming, said even her own kids have been anxious to get back into the building. “We feel so spoiled now,” she said, laughing.
Ashley Rankie added: “It’s such a nice, bright, open and airy room. The kids can’t wait to return.”
With community support—including a fundraiser by the Friends of the Library to furnish the children’s area with child-sized seating and fixtures—Smiths Falls is proving that it’s possible to preserve the past while making room for something new.
Amanda Foster enjoys the third-floor view from the newly renovated space. Photo credit: Laurie Weir.
A Carnegie Connection: The Library That Won First Prize
The Smiths Falls library isn’t just another century-old building—it’s one of the few Canadian libraries built with funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. In the early 1900s, Carnegie financed more than 2,500 libraries worldwide, including 125 in Canada. But Smiths Falls holds a rare honour: it was the first Canadian library personally visited by Carnegie himself.
“He came to town in 1906,” Cummings said. “And he called this a ‘first prize library.’ That was his quote.”
Carnegie’s grant of $10,000 helped build the original structure in 1903. Local MP and first mayor Francis Theodore Frost and his brother matched the grant to help fund operations. That early civic commitment is reflected in every preserved feature and every fight to maintain the building’s historic character.
“We’ve done this in stages,” Cummings said. “But we’ve always kept Carnegie’s legacy in mind. This isn’t just a library. It’s a cornerstone of the community.”
Friends’ Book Sale June 7
The Friends of the Library will host their annual book sale on Friday, June 7. Donations will be accepted one day only—Thursday, June 6. The sale starts at 8 a.m.
“We’ll have a ton of books,” Foster said. “And we could use a few extra hands to help with setup—if you can move a few boxes, stop by at 7:30 a.m.”
Library Hours
The library is open:
- Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Wednesday and Thursday: Noon to 7 p.m.
- Visit https://www.smithsfallslibrary.ca/ for more information
