Marrickville Library
Sydney, Australia

Marrickville was once a village of market gardens. Then brick making began in the 1830's, and the building boom of the 1880's transformed the village into a suburb of Sydney, the gardens replaced by brick-pits. Industry brought injuries and, in 1897, the Marrickville Cottage Hospital was built. The hospital was shuttered in 1990. The city council acquired the land a few years later and made plans to build a library and community center there. They didn’t get development approval until 2017.

The new building has been praised as a beautiful example of adaptive re-use – bricks, timber balustrades and columns from the original hospital building have been incorporated into the design. A distinctive floating canopy roof originates from the pitched roof of the old hospital building and folds out over the new library building towards the garden lawn. The old hospital building has been retained and restored to form the library collection and office spaces, along with outdoor reading areas along the veranda now known as the Lilydale Balconies. Many of the original hospital features including tiling, floorboards, terrazzo flooring, brick, window frames, and ceiling beams remain.
Marrickville Library has been recognized with 7 Australian architecture awards and 3 National Trust heritage awards.

PuppetKabob presents The Snowflake Man
Saturday, August 5, 11:00 a.m.

Puppetry artist Sarah Frechette, director of Puppetkabob, presents The Snowflake Man on WIN weekend. The story of The Snowflake Man is inspired by Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, the self-educated farmer and scientist who attracted world attention when he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal (see photo below). The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the historic 1920s through creative storytelling, intricately designed Czech-style marionettes, and a striking pop-up book of water color scenery. This UNIMA-USA award winning show combines art, science, and a little known piece of American history to magical effect! Please register here for this event.

Celebrate our National Parks with our National Park Popularity Contest! For our August challenge, we've matched up sixteen National Parks, and we want you to vote for your favorite. Round 1 voting takes place through Wednesday, August 9. Voting will close at 12am, midnight. The leading parks will advance to the next tier of voting, and the eight winners will be announced in the August 11 Night Owl, as well as through social media. The popularity contest will continue until the Most Popular Park is announced on August 31. All voting participants will be entered into a drawing to win a Passport to Your National Parks Guidebook. Click here to vote.

Click Here to Read More about The Norfolk Library Night Owl - August 4, 2023