Toronto Reference Library Atrium

Neighbourhood: Bloor-Yorkville · Address: 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Sat 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sun 12:00 – 5:00 PM · Price Range: Free · Editorial status: Not yet verified

Why Visit

The five-storey atrium at the Toronto Reference Library is a hush-hush spot for uninterrupted reading or work and also a marvel of late-’70s modernism. Natural light, indoor trees, and the surreal balcony curves make it a surprisingly transformative public space.

What Makes It Unique

No other library in Toronto offers such dramatic architectural lines: curving red walkways, indoor foliage, and a tranquil reflecting pool right in the centre. Unlike most public spaces, the atrium is genuinely quiet, open to all, and rarely crowded outside of exam weeks.

If you want a version of Toronto street art that feels less staged and more lived-in, go wander the Parkdale laneways between Queen and King. This isn’t a single mural wall or a neat little art corridor with a map and matching hashtags. It’s a loose patchwork of back lanes, garage doors, fence panels, brick walls, shipping doors, and the odd surprise around a bend. You’ll find dozens of smaller murals tucked into the everyday mechanics of the neighbourhood, which is exactly why they’re so good. What makes Parkdale different is the mix. One wall might have Tibetan symbols and prayer-flag colours worked into a piece that clearly means something to the local community. A few steps later, you’ll see a portrait in bold Afrocentric styling, then a sun-hot Caribbean palette splashed across a garage door, then something unmistakably Toronto: a local artist’s character piece, a stencil, a text-based mural, or a fresh layer over an older work. Some murals are polished, some are scrappier, and some are half-faded and peeling in a way that actually adds to the atmosphere. It feels like the neighbourhood talking to itself. For photos, it’s great because the scale changes constantly. You’re not just shooting giant statement walls. You get intimate details, alleyway depth, interesting textures, and those weird little urban compositions that make photos feel more specific to a place. Fire escapes, utility poles, back staircases, cracked pavement, overgrown edges, and murals squeezed into awkward corners all end up in the frame. If you like photographing colour against gritty city surfaces, this area gives you a lot to work with. The best way to do it is not to overplan. Start somewhere south of Queen and just wander west-east or east-west through the lanes toward King, ducking in wherever you see painted garage doors or walls worth following. Keep your eyes up and low, because some of the best pieces aren’t front-and-centre. They’re on the side of a shed, behind a parking area, or wrapping around a fence. It’s open 24 hours, technically, but daylight is better if you actually want to see the details, and late morning or early evening gives you nicer light without the harsh midday glare. A quick local note: these are working laneways, not an outdoor museum. Cars come through, people are taking out garbage, someone might be unloading groceries, and residents live right there. So don’t block driveways, don’t treat the whole place like a private photo studio, and keep it moving if someone’s trying to get by. Also, absolutely pair it with food. Parkdale has some of the city’s best Tibetan spots and solid Caribbean options, and grabbing momos, roti, or jerk nearby just makes the whole outing feel complete. That’s kind of the point here. The murals aren’t separate from the neighbourhood. They make more sense once you’ve spent a little time on the streets around them, hearing the traffic on Queen, catching the smell of food from a storefront, and seeing how all these different influences end up on the walls. It’s free, easy to explore, and worth coming back to, because the lanes never look exactly the same twice.