[someone123]

Actually Vancouver's 1950's-era library was converted into a news studio and Future Shop. Chapters is across the street in a similar building. The old library had a different design that was more similar to a commercial building, however, and I think it had to be heavily renovated to add the big storefront windows, escalators, etc.

Unfortunately I tend to agree that the old library isn't very suited to something like Chapters. The problem is that it is divided into small areas internally and is not very open to the street. It is not as inviting as most commercial buildings and there would probably be a lot of opposition to heavily modifying it. Much of the building's charm is in the interior layout.

Maybe there should be a design competition or something to figure out what to do with the building. I think it will take a lot of creativity to find a good use for it that can be accommodated with renovations that are sympathetic to the original building. Such ideas are not very likely to come from bureaucrats looking for space -- they tend to give us stuff like the dead ground floor level of the former Eatons building.

I worry that the assembly house idea will result in an underused, poorly-maintained building in a prime part of the city. Unfortunately this is one of the problems with the library moving to a new location rather than redeveloping the old site. Easier for them, since they don't have to deal with renos, but it might be worse for the city as a whole.