Tag Archives: industrial architecture
Toronto Real Estate — The Distillery District
The Distillery District is a historic district to the east of the downtown core of Toronto, Canada, spanning 13 acres (52,000 square metres) and comprised of more than 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets.
Until 1990, the district housed the Gooderham and Worts distillery, founded in 1832, and which was once the largest distillery in the world, and which was owned in later years by Hiram Walker Co. Its location on the side of the Canadian National Railway mainline and located at the mouth of the original route of the Don River outlet into Lake Ontario which facilitated transport connections to the rest of Canada and indeed the world, and the entire area was once the industrial centre of Toronto and transhipping hub.
With the deindustrialization of the surrounding area in the late 20th century, and the winding-down of the distillery operations, the Distillery District was left increasingly derelict. Surrounding industrial and commercial buildings and structures were often demolished, leaving the former distillery surrounded primarily by empty lots.
Nonetheless, the closing of the remaining distillery operations in 1990 created redevelopment and investment opportunities for a district that contained the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.
The economic recession of the early 1990s, however, and the resulting crash in residential condominium prices and office lease rates in downtown Toronto, delayed efforts to revitalize the district. Nonetheless, two residential condominium buildings were constructed on the periphery of the district during the late 1990s.
While the site awaited redevelopment and reinvestment, the Distillery District‘s unique ambience began to attract numerous film shoots. Since 1990, the site has served as a location for over 800 film and television productions.
In 2001, the site was purchased by Cityscape Holdings Inc., which transformed the district into a pedestrian-oriented arts, culture and entertainment neighbourhood. In 2003, the Distillery District was reopened to the public to great acclaim.
The new owners refused to lease any of the retail and restaurant space to chains or franchises, and accordingly, the majority of the buildings are occupied with unique boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and coffee shops, including a well-known micro brewery, the Mill Street Brewery.
The upper floors of a number of buildings have been leased to artists as studio spaces and to offices tenants with a “creative focus”. A new theatre, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, has opened on the site and serves as the home of the Soulpepper Theatre Company and the drama productions of nearby George Brown College. There are plans to develop residential condominiums, offices and more retail space on the vacant lands that surround the Distillery District.
There has been some criticism of the Distillery District‘s redevelopment. Some have suggested that the area’s gentrification has resulted in yet another upscale shopping district competing for the pocket-books of a wealthy demographic, and that opportunities for more publicly-funded uses have been lost. In contrast, others have noted that the district provides important space to local artists, and are supportive of the fact that the Distillery District is not dominated by large retail chains.
Regardless of any criticism, the preservation and active re-use of the historic buildings has been widely praised. The Distillery District is a National historic site, and has been designated for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act since 1976. It was listed by National Geographic magazine as a “top pick” in Canada for travellers. The redevelopment of surrounding vacant lands is expected to accelerate the district’s transformation from an abandoned industrial site into one of Toronto’s most unique neighbourhoods.
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Stewart Street is what Toronto is all about
Christopher Hume – Yourhome.ca
Stewart St., south of King St. W. and east of Bathurst St., is one of those secondary thoroughfares that until recently fell well below the threshold of public consciousness. It was a nondescript kind of street, lined with old industrial architecture as well as plenty of 19th-century housing, pretty, a bit rundown, and all but invisible.
Not now. Today, Stewart is what Toronto’s all about. Close to everything but hidden away, it is the downtown version of the quiet tree-lined street. In recent years, however, it has been transformed by the forces of condoization; the south side has been remade by mid- to lowrise residential slabs. The north side remains much as it was in the late 1800s. Interestingly, the two building types go together well; with the latter acting as a foil to the decorative facades of the old houses.
Of course, the move from bricks and mortar to glass and steel has not pleased everyone, but if Stewart is any indication, the two can fit together well. And let’s be honest, real state has grown too valuable to leave undeveloped, or even underdeveloped. The trick is always to find the balance between old and new. So far, it seems to be working here. The secret, perhaps, is to have kept the heights of the new structures down to something that doesn’t overpower the existing buildings, but which instead shows them to good advantage.
Condo Critic – Thompson Building, 550 Wellington Street West & 55 Stewart Street
This new condo/hotel project reaches no more than nine to 11 storeys high, which given its length, is just as well. Filling about half a city block, it’s a large building whose bulk has been cut down by clever massing. As a result, it feels more like a series of structures than just one.
The Thomspon Hotel, at the west end of the site, faces onto Bathurst St. Here the complex joins an old Art Moderne garage-turned-restaurant that manages to retain its 1930s character despite its truncated condition.
On Stewart, individual units look directly onto the street. There’s also an opening through to Wellington that eliminates what would otherwise be a massive obstacle. What a shame the service entrances are all consolidated on Stewart; that detracts from what could otherwise be an impressive exterior. The Wellington facade, by contrast, with its trestle feature and greenery is the urban oasis brought to life.
GRADE: B+
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960
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Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts keep industrial character
Vinegar made in former factory – company name still above front door
Excerpt from an article by W.D. Lighthall – Toronto Star
You can’t miss the evidence proving the industrial pedigree of the building that became the Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts – it’s right there above the main entrance.
In 1907, Queen City Vinegar Co. Ltd. built this three-storey production facility and warehouse on River St. and to this day the company’s name, carved in a style of lettering fashionable 100 years ago, remains fully visible in the stonework above the building’s front door.
“It’s a nice feature, to have the company name over the entrance,” says Alie Warren, vice-president of sales and marketing for Streetcar Developments Inc., the company behind the Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts project.
“It’s a great building that has a lot of that authentic industrial character to it. Not only do we appreciate it being an original loft-type building, we know our purchasers do. There’s a need for this kind of building on the market,” Warren says.
The lofts in the 38-unit Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts feature all the classic elements of Canadian industrial architecture in the early 20th-century – brick walls, exposed post-and-beam structural system, polished concrete floors, high ceilings and extended-height windows, which were built to allow lots of natural light into the factory’s working environment.
The stone detailing around the Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts entrance has already been refurbished, and although two new storeys were added to the structure, the original rooftop parapet features will also be restored and maintained.
Where Streetcar had to dismantle interior walls, they used those bricks to build some non-load bearing walls in the two storeys of new lofts.
“So that brings that theme and feel of the building’s original architecture into the new lofts,” Warren says.
Ceiling heights are 12 to 14 feet on storeys one to three, and 10 feet on storeys four and five. All but three lofts have either an outdoor terrace or balcony.
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960
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