The Bishop’s Library is a two-storey stone building built in the Classical Revival style of architecture. Built in 1859, the Bishop’s Library is located on Military Road in St. John’s, NL, nestled between the Bishop’s Palace and The Monastery. This building is one of a complex of buildings located within the ecclesiastical district of St. John’s. This designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Formal Recognition Type
Registered Heritage Structure
Heritage Value
The Bishop’s Library was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 due to its aesthetic and historic value.
The Bishop’s Library was built under the direction of Bishop Thomas Mullock, shortly after the construction of the Bishop’s Palace. During his episcopacy, Mullock was keenly interested in the development of religious education in Newfoundland. He envisioned an era of educational enlightenment in Newfoundland, and intended his new library to rival the intellectual standards of the Continental colleges where he had studied. The nearby St. Bonaventure’s College was another part of Mullock’s intellectual vision. The main building of the college is named Mullock Hall in his honour. The Library was originally open to the public – one of the first publicly accessible libraries in Newfoundland. It later became the Episcopal library and a reading room for clergy. It contains Bishop Mullock’s collection of rare books dating back as early as 1524 – a unique example of a complete personal library from the nineteenth century. The Library’s location within the heart of the Roman Catholic complex surrounding the Basilica speaks to Mullock’s belief in the importance of scholarship in advancing Catholicism in Newfoundland.
The Bishop’s Library is a good example of Classical Revival architecture in an ecclesiastical building. The Bonaventure Avenue façade features a large central pediment supported by four Doric pilasters. Rounded arch windows are symmetrically placed on the facade. As is typical of Classical Revival buildings, the central window has a different trim than the rest of the windows, employing a keystone theme. Another interesting architectural feature also in the centre of the building is the carriage entrance that is directly below the main window and the large pediment. The placement supports the classical symmetry of the main façade of the building. The building’s interior features a coffered ceiling with ornamental plasterwork (likely by the Conway family, Waterford masons who were also responsible for the elaborate ceilings in the neighbouring Basilica). The library still contains the original bookcases built by Bishop Mullock’s father, Thomas Mullock.
The Bishop’s Library saw many changes in the twentieth century. It survived the 1921 fire that destroyed the adjoining Bishop’s Palace. However, the loss of the Palace left multiple clergymen with no place to live and the high-ceilinged Bishop’s Library was soon partitioned into two levels of apartments for these men. In 1924, the new Bishop’s Palace was completed. The gabled roof of the Bishop’s Library was changed to a flat roof at this time, to create a sense of unity with the new structure. The Bishop’s Library was used for storage during the 1930s and 1940s, and in the 1950s served as an extra classroom for neighbouring St. Bonaventure’s College. The early 1970s saw an even further loss of historic features, as the original stained glass windows were replaced by clear glass. However, by the late 1970s, work was already underway to return the Library’s interior to its original state. The present-day Library now features the original high ceilings and open reading room as they would have been in Mullock’s day.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “St. John’s – Bishop’s Library – FPT 1704”
Character Defining Elements
All elements that reflect the building’s Classical Revival design including:
-general height and massing of two-storey building;
-stone and masonry construction;
-symmetrical front façade;
-large Classical pediment supported by pilasters;
-symmetrical placement of rounded arch windows;
-central rounded arch window with keystone motif, and;
-arched carriage entrance.
All interior elements reflecting the age and use of the building, including:
-coffered ceiling, and;
-original bookcases in reading room.
All those environmental elements that define the building’s purpose and use, including:
-proximity to the other ecclesiastical buildings that form a Roman Catholic complex surrounding the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and;
-location in the heart of the city’s Ecclesiastical District.