Officially called the Atwater Library of the Mechanics’ Institute of Montreal, the well-known local institution was presented with the grant before an audience of volunteers and supporters last Friday, Dec. 4, by Senator David Angus, acting on behalf of Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

In attendance were Mayor Peter Trent, city councillors Theodora Samiotis and Victor Drury, Director General Duncan Campbell, Director of Urban Planning Joanne Poirier, as well as Montreal’s Helen Fotopulos, the executive committee member responsible for culture and heritage, and Councillor Sammy Forcillo.

Sen. Angus, a Montrealer and member of the Atwater Library, conveyed the Minister’s regards, and thanked the work of the Library’s volunteer board of directors, as well as the Library’s management team, headed by Director Lynn Verge. He then discussed the importance of historic sites such as the Library building:

“These very special places are symbols of our country," Angus said of institutions such as the Atwater Library. "They are tangible connections to our history.”

Ellen Bounsall, president of the library’s board of directors, noted that the Library was built 90 years ago out of the finest materials available, much of which remains intact, and said that a capital campaign to raise further funds would soon be launched to cover the rest of the projected $4.5 million cost of the library’s preservation work.

The Atwater Library will use the funds to restore various aspects of its infrastructure, such the skylight and the doors on the Tupper Street entrance, which otherwise would need to be entirely replaced. It will also be ensuring that the building is brought up to current building codes, and will become more accessible.