Those nasty rumours
“I was told that it was in the shape of a peacock. I don’t know if that’s true. I was also told that the architect of this building killed himself, but I don’t know if that’s true, either.”
By Andrea Gaus and Janice Kwan
Issue date: 10/3/01 Section: Features
Most students’ first experience with Robarts Library is not with the library itself, but with the rumors surrounding the library. And there are many of them. Before I get into dispelling some of the myths, you should know that the staff at Robarts Library likes the fact that these rumors are going around because it gets people talking and it maintains the sense of mystery that surrounds the structure. Thirty years after it was built, people are still talking about the building, and that makes it a success.
RUMOUR 1: The building is sinking a few centimeters a year because the engineers didn’t take into consideration the weight of the books at the time they designed it, so it’s sinking.
VERDICT: Untrue, unfortunately. However, there are rumours that the libraries at both the University of Waterloo and the University of Indiana are also sinking for the same reason.
RUMOUR 2: The building was designed to look like a peacock.
VERDICT: Ambiguous. Robarts staff will not reveal the secrets of the architects. They claim that they had not intentionally designed the library to look like a peacock. However, peacocks are a symbol of pride, and the collection of the library is the pride of the campus.
The building has been called other things as well, like an overgrown turkey or a dinosaur. Staff at Robarts, however, do agree that looking northwest at the library, there does appear to be a head, perhaps even a beak. I believe that the staff at Robarts know more than they let on.
RUMOUR 3: The architect committed suicide after people couldn’t figure out what the building looked like.
VERDICT: The architects, A.S. Mathers and E.J. Haldenby, are both dead, whether they committed suicide is unknown. However, this is one of the more ridiculous rumours .
RUMOUR 4: The triangular design is able to withstand a nuclear blast.
VERDICT: Ms. Gabriella Bravo, Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Patron Relations at Robarts explained this myth in the following way: “Look at the windows behind me, does it really look as though you’d be safe from a nuclear blast?”
RUMOUR 1: The building is sinking a few centimeters a year because the engineers didn’t take into consideration the weight of the books at the time they designed it, so it’s sinking.
VERDICT: Untrue, unfortunately. However, there are rumours that the libraries at both the University of Waterloo and the University of Indiana are also sinking for the same reason.
RUMOUR 2: The building was designed to look like a peacock.
VERDICT: Ambiguous. Robarts staff will not reveal the secrets of the architects. They claim that they had not intentionally designed the library to look like a peacock. However, peacocks are a symbol of pride, and the collection of the library is the pride of the campus.
The building has been called other things as well, like an overgrown turkey or a dinosaur. Staff at Robarts, however, do agree that looking northwest at the library, there does appear to be a head, perhaps even a beak. I believe that the staff at Robarts know more than they let on.
RUMOUR 3: The architect committed suicide after people couldn’t figure out what the building looked like.
VERDICT: The architects, A.S. Mathers and E.J. Haldenby, are both dead, whether they committed suicide is unknown. However, this is one of the more ridiculous rumours .
RUMOUR 4: The triangular design is able to withstand a nuclear blast.
VERDICT: Ms. Gabriella Bravo, Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Patron Relations at Robarts explained this myth in the following way: “Look at the windows behind me, does it really look as though you’d be safe from a nuclear blast?”
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Mike Bromley
posted 10/17/07 @ 10:56 AM EST
A building as dowager-like as the Ro-Bart Deserves to have some legend or another attached. Personally, I wish the book-weight one were true, because, given enough time, hopefully it would sink out of sight all together. (Continued…)
Yuan
posted 10/19/07 @ 12:56 AM EST
In regards to suicides - I think the rumours were not targeted at the architects, but at the Ontario Premier, John Robarts. His son also committed suicide, I think and his daughter has been advertising for CAMH (centre of mental health and addiction) on 680 News recently. (Continued…)
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