Closing Of The Library Lounge

Wednesdays were always the longest and most challenging days in the University. We needed to produce a 10-15-minute radio broadcast by 4 pm. Half the class needed to go out to hunt down stories, assigned by them, to record and bring back to the office. The editing was done by cutting tape. On top of all this, we had to know how to get around Toronto, and taxis were too expensive for university kids. It was early 1992, and the class was stressful. After every class, we ended up at the Library Lounge on Bond Street near Yonge and Dundas streets.

The Library Lounge, upstairs from the Imperial Pub, was our hangout after school and sometimes between classes from 1992 to 1997. It was close to Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan University), within walking distance. The Imperial Pub is one of Toronto's oldest bars, having opened in 1940. The library pub above was opened as a place for students to come, spend some money and relax. Both closed today, and eventually, the area will be turned into much-needed student housing for the university.

The lounge was comfortable with two leather couches, some tables and chairs, a pool table and a small patio out back. It was a place for us to relax after the day, talk about school and our social lives, and be together over a pint or two of beer. The staircase made it a challenge after too many, but I never fell; I saw a few who did.

On my last 3 trips home, beginning in 2023, I started going back to the Pub when I was in the city to see how it had changed. It hadn’t much. The layout, the vibe, even the smells felt the same. There also weren’t many people around, but I thought that was more because I usually go back to Canada in the summer, when school is out. I would learn from reading that people going into the bar were diminishing, as younger people tend to stay away from bars due to lifestyle changes and the rising cost of a beer in a bar in Toronto.