Marrickville Library and Pavilion

This article is part of our local series, where we highlight local venues, parks and attractions near our clinics. Learn more about Marrickville by clicking here.

Located on the former site of the Marrickville Cottage Hospital, the new Marrickville Library and Pavilion is an important part of the district's history. The problem with heading to the library as cool as the Marrickville Library and Pavilion is that it is hard to get any work done with so much to admire.

Integrating heritage elements of the structure with contemporary design, the Marrickville Library and Pavilion's latest addition is a feat of sustainable and clever design. With over three-stories, you will find everything you need. The facility even has a brand-new pavilion which is available to hire for functions and events.

History of Marrickville Library

The building was initially used as a hospital. The Marrickville Cottage Hospital was founded in 1897 and was built in response to the high number of injuries sustained from the industrial sites and local factories. When the hospital was closed in 1991, it was used by a number of community groups before the local authority formed a partnership with Mirvac (builders) to build Marrickville Library as part of the development of the site.

The library was built on a former hospital site, and the builders were able to reuse about 27,000 bricks from the old structure in the new building. Marrickville Library now boasts of over 1,000 metres of items, which include DVDs, movies, robots for amateur mechatronic engineers, and meeting rooms. With a massive increase in the shelving space of the library, over 20,000 new books were added to the collection, taking it to about 85,000 books.

The whole second floor of the library is devoted to the historic art book collection that until now was quite difficult to get access to by the general public. The Marrickville Library is a well thought out beautiful library that provides great spaces for diverse people to learn, interact, and spend a shared community vibe together.

The Marrickville Pavilion

There is a great area connected to the Marrickville Library known as the Pavilion, where organizations and local residents can hire for presentations and events. The Marrickville Pavilion is ideal for cocktail parties, conferences, beautiful weddings, and private dinners. The pavilion is also the perfect backdrop for your bespoke event.

The Marrickville Pavilion includes two separate break-out spaces and access to a fantastic outdoor area that will greatly complement your next event. In addition, the Marrickville Library has a full-size catering kitchen, integrated audiovisual facilities, onsite parking, acoustic ceiling with rigging points, hearing loop, wheelchair accessible, and more.

Children’s Library

One of the most popular areas of the Marrickville Library and Pavilion is the children's library. The padded shelf with books makes it easier for kids to get cosy. They also get to enjoy the outdoor courtyard to take in some fresh air.

You’ll be sprawl out of the large garden space while your children enjoy the children's playground and library. The courtyard garden features the Kangaroo sculpture designed by Joanna Rhodes. The Kangaroo sculpture served as a reminder of the site's history when the entire area was known as the Kangaroo Grounds.