On Location: The Vancouver Public Library Central Location on Fox's FRINGE

Geek Girl Authority

23-06-2025

Welcome to On Location , a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you're seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas, or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
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Travel back in time with us, friends, to the dawn of alt universe television dramas. Premiering in 2008, Fox's cult sci-fi hit show, Fringe , ran for five seasons and 100 episodes. While the plot ranged from mystery-of-the-week scripts to deep dives into the show's mythology, it consistently centered on a division of the FBI devoted to 'fringe' science like transhumanist experiments and parallel universes.
When production moved to Vancouver, Canada, in Season 2, the locations team took advantage of one of the most unique buildings in the city. They based the alternate universe's Fringe Division headquarters out of the Central location of the Vancouver Public Library. Image Credit: Fox Vancouver Public Library Central Location on Fringe
Vancouver's Central Library building opened in 1995 after 26 months of construction. As the jewel of the Library Square project, the oval, Colosseum-like building houses nine storeys of the public library's collection of books, archives, galleries, and media. Below the ground floor, a lower level contains several publicly bookable meeting rooms, the expansive Children's library collection, and internal work spaces. A taller federal office building tower stands adjacent to the library, an internal curve echoing and emphasizing the unique shape of the architecture.
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The current Central Library replaced the previous Central Library, built in 1957 at the corner of Burrard St. and Robson St., itself the 1958 winner of the Massey Silver Medal for Architecture. In 1990, Vancouverites voted in a referendum on whether or not to build a new downtown library. 69% voted in favor of a new building. In 1992, Moshe Safdie & Associates and local partners Downs/Archambault won the design competition. This design won overwhelming public approval despite its extreme aesthetic contrast to other downtown buildings. Image Credit: Vancouver Public Library A Truly Public Space
The Vancouver Public Library's mission is to provide 'a free place for everyone to discover, create, and share ideas and information.' The Central Library includes the city's first Inspiration Lab on the third floor, where visitors can book and use sound booths, a recording studio, and a wide range of tech and software to design and create personal projects, all for free. On the Central Library's upper levels, there are several outdoor spaces where the public can enjoy beautiful views of the city. All spaces are open whenever the library is open.
Even the interior spaces are designed to inspire and delight. The enclosed Promenade entranceway, with its magnificently high glass ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, is reminiscent of European piazzas where the public can sit and relax on even the wettest of Vancouver winter days. In 2023, Travel & Leisure included Vancouver's Central Library on their list, 'Beautiful Libraries Around the World Every Booklover Should Visit.'
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How wonderfully meta is it that you can visit the Central Library to learn about the Central Library? It's true! Vancouver Public Library offers guided tours of the Central Location on a monthly schedule. Just drop in at the listed time and place for a free 90-minute tour. This year, Vancouver Public Library celebrates the Central Library's 30th Anniversary. Over 1.5 million people visit the location annually. In this era of information and technology, the definition of 'library' grows exponentially and continuously. Public libraries open doors of opportunity with the access and services they provide. Star Quality
Even if you didn't follow Fringe back in the day — and, to be clear, it's never a bad time to jump on that particular bandwagon — the Vancouver Public Library Central Location probably looks familiar. Many other Vancouver productions have shot there over the last 30 years.
The building frequently featured in many of the CW shows that filmed in Vancouver — Supergirl, The Flash, Smallville, and Batwoman — and Syfy shows like Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. Netflix's Altered Carbon used both the Central Library and the old Canada Post building across the street. Scenes for the 1998 Mr. Magoo, 2002's Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, 2010's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and 2012's This Means War were shot at the Central Library.
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Perhaps most memorably, Arnold Schwarzenegger's The 6th Day features the Central Library as the corporate headquarters of the villainous Replacement Technologies. While The 6th Day ends with Replacement Technologies HQ blowing up in spectacular fashion, rest assured, no libraries were damaged in the making of the movie. Image Credit: Vancouver Public Library
As recently as last summer, the Central Library served as a shoot location for Apple TV's Smoke , starring Taron Egerton, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and John Leguizamo. As seen in the above behind-the-scenes image, the production covered identifying signage. However, when Smoke premieres on June 27, keep your eyes peeled for those distinctive windows and columns. Take a Look, It's in a Book
Many of GGA's favorite series and films are book adaptations. To name a few current shows: Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Syfy's Resident Alien , and Apple TV+'s Murderbot . On the big screen, there are huge adaptations on the horizon. Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Stephen King's The Long Walk, and Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West will all premiere in the next year.
Obviously, not everyone can make the journey to Vancouver, Canada, to see its Central Library in person. (Totally worth it if you can, though!) However, every public library is a wealth of information, entertainment, and opportunity. As Anne Herbert once said, 'Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.' When was the last time you visited yours?
Hot tip: Fringe currently doesn't stream for free on any platforms. But you know who might have it on DVD to borrow for free?
5 Great Books About Libraries and Librarians Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.