The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, east of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former

Gooderham and Worts Distillery Gooderham and Worts, also known as Gooderham & Worts Limited, was a Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages. It was once one of the largest distillers in Canada. The company was merged in 1926 with Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., and the merged firm ...

. The district comprises more than forty heritage buildings and ten streets, and is the largest collection of

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

industrial architecture in North America. The district was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1988.

History

The

was founded in 1832. Once providing over of whisky, mostly for export on the world market, the company was bought out in later years by rival Hiram Walker Co., another large Canadian distiller. Its location on the side of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

mainline and its proximity to the mouth of the original route of the

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

outlet into Lake Ontario created a hard edge which separated the district from neighbouring communities. These did, however, allow for a facilitated transport connection to the rest of Canada and the world and acted as Toronto's domination as an industrial centre or

transshipping Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination. One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...

hub. With the

deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpre ...

of the surrounding area in the late 20th century, and the winding-down of the distillery operations, the 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 Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include: ...

and investment opportunities for a district that contained the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The Distillery District was designated as a National Historic Site, and has been protected under the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

'' since 1976. It was listed by ''

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'' magazine as a "top pick" in Canada for travellers. The economic

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

of the early 1990s, however, and the resulting crash in residential

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

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

and reinvestment, the district's ambiance began to attract numerous film shoots. Since 1990, the site has served as a location for over 800 film and television productions.

21st century

In 2001, the site was purchased by Cityscape Holdings Inc., which transformed the district into a pedestrian-orientated area. Work was completed and the district reopened to the public by 2003. 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 boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, jewellery stores, cafés, and coffeehouses, including a well-known microbrewery, the

Mill Street Brewery Mill Street Brewery is a brewery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that is a part of Anheuser–Busch InBev and named after Mill Street where it is located. During its first decade of operation, as an independent brewer, Mill Street won several awards ...

. The upper floors of a number of buildings have been leased to artists as studio spaces and to office tenants with a "creative focus". A new theatre, the

Young Centre for the Performing Arts The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is a theatre in the Distillery District in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is a brand-new theatre built into 19th-century-era Victorian industrial buildings. It is home to the Soulpepper Theatre Company and th ...

, has opened on the site and serves as the home of the

Soulpepper Theatre Company Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has sinc ...

and the

George Brown Theatre School The George Brown Theatre School is a drama school in Toronto, Canada. Providing training in multiple forms and practices of theatre, it is one of the highest-regarded conservatory schools for drama in the country. The school was founded in 1976 as ...

. There are plans to develop residential condominiums, offices, and more retail space on the vacant lands that surround the district. New

developments will be located at the south-east corner of the neighbourhood, bordering on Cherry Street and Tank House Lane. The

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

' Athletes' Village was built in the area in 2015, in conjunction with an extension to the streetcar network constructed along Cherry Street. After the games, the athletes village was converted to townhouses, condos, affordable housing, and retail space.

Toronto Christmas Market

The Toronto Christmas Market has been an annual outdoor tradition run within the Distillery District since 2010. The market includes "Santa's house", an Indigo pop-up shop, pet photos with Santa, a Ferris wheel and themed entertainment each day. There are food vendors and dining locations that are popular tourist attractions. The 2020 edition of the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto The COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Toronto is the most populous city in Canad ...

. The event returned for its 2021 edition from November 19 to December 31 2021 under the new moniker "The Distillery Winter Village".

Urban design

The Distillery District's traditional brick-paved streets and lanes are restricted to pedestrians and cyclists, with general motor vehicle traffic restricted to streets and parking areas outside of the district's historic centre. Several large

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

s installed along the lanes enliven its streetscapes, three being on Distillery Lane and the final one at the parking area at the end of Trinity Street. Another primary landmark is the chimney stack atop the Boiler House complex. There are informal

public space A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to ...

s on the pedestrianized streets with chairs and tables for general use, as well as formal

patio A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed stru ...

s for some of its coffee houses and restaurants. Trinity Street is the widest street in the district and often functions as a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

for events such as market days. The main thoroughfares within the district are Distillery Lane from Parliament Street running southeast to Trinity Street, Trinity Street from Mill Street at its north end to the motor vehicle parking area at its south end, and Tank House Lane from Trinity Street east to Cherry Street. The four borders of the Distillery District are Parliament Street to the west, Mill Street to the north, Cherry Street to the east, and the

parking area A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

to the south with the condominiums along Distillery Lane forming hard edges to pedestrians. The Distillery District can be reached via the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...

's 121 Fort York-Esplanade

bus route A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for ...

, and since June 2016 the

514 Cherry The 514 Cherry was a streetcar route of the Toronto streetcar system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that operated from June 19, 2016, until October 7, 2018. The 514 operated through the financial district and downtown Toronto between Dufferin Gate ...

streetcar line A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

has its eastern terminus at the

Distillery Loop Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

to the east of the historic district, providing service along King Street through the downtown core as far west as

Dufferin Gate Loop Dufferin Gate Loop, also known as Dufferin Loop, is a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus station and turning loop for streetcars near the southern end of Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) ...

Liberty Village Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered to the north by King Street West, to the west by Dufferin Street, to the south by the Gardiner Expressway, to the east by Strachan Avenue, and to the northeast by the ...

. The surrounding lands are animated with a mix of uses: residential areas at Parliament and Distillery and at the eastern end of Mill Street up to Cherry, restaurants along Trinity Street, Tank House Lane, Brewery Lane, and Case Goods Lane, and education uses at the eastern end of Tank House Lane.

Government policy

Toronto's Official Plan designates the Distillery District as a mixed-use land parcel, which is an area that includes a combination of land uses such as commercial, residential, entertainment facilities and art galleries. In order to provide additional details regarding the breakdown of the types of mixed uses in the area, the King-Parliament Secondary Plan is used to determine the locations of the commercial, residential, and other land uses. Gooderham & Worts (3814013686)

In addition, the plan also outlines design guidelines and places emphasis on enhancing the existing historical buildings. The plan divides the 13-acre area into three different mixed-use designations. This includes the incorporation of a bike lane and private roadway where the current southern park lot is located. The remaining existing structures within the District all comply with the outlined land uses within the Secondary Plan.King-Parliament Secondary Plan
/ref> In addition, the ''

, 1990'' is a governing document for the historical buildings that have been redeveloped on the site. Any amendments to this act must be proposed to the Conservation Review Board for approval. In particular, the Secondary Plan reinforces these notions by stating that any additions to existing buildings within mixed-use areas 2 and 3 "may be permitted only if it has been demonstrated that they respect the three-dimensional integrity of the heritage building and the quality and the character of both the historic building being added to and its relationship to adjacent historical buildings within the area". The Secondary Plan is important for guiding how development occurs within the area. It provides the course of action for what the future image of the Distillery should look like and ensures that development at a small scale (such as the 13-acre area of the Distillery) is compliant with plans outlined in the City's master plan (official plan) and is reflective of the province's ''Planning Act'' (1990), which sets out the ground rules for land use planning. Various buildings on the site are protected under part IV of the ''Ontario Heritage Act'' since 1976. The property at 70 Mill Street is protected under a heritage easement since April 3, 1996.

Buildings

Stonehouse Distillery at the Distillery District

June 2012 Distillery District Historic Industrial Roof Gables (7418029678)

The former distillery consisted of a series of buildings, centred around a seven-storey windmill and wharf. Although the windmill and wharf have long since been demolished, a number of buildings from distillery operations remain. These historical buildings include: *

Stone Distillery The Stone Distillery is an 1859 heritage industrial building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest and largest building in the Distillery District complex of Gooderham & Worts Distillery buildings. Description Designed by David Roberts, ...

, 1859 * Boiler House, c. 1859–1860 * Boiler House/Drying Annex, c. 1859–1860 * Yeast Store, c. 1859–1860 * Malt House, c. 1863 * Paint House, c. 1863–1864 * Cooperage Building, c. 1863–1864 * Office, c. 1863–1864 * Rectifying Building, c. 1863–1864 * Carpenter's Shop, c. 1863–1864 * Cooper's Yard, c. 1863–1864 * Kilns Building, c. 1863–1864 * Fermenting cellar, 1869 * Cannery buildings, 1873 * Pure Spirits buildings, 1873 * Pure Spirits tank houses, 1873 * Maintenance Shop, c. 1877–1880 * Paint Shop, c. 1877–1880 * Stables buildings, 1877–1880 * Denaturing Room, c. 1884 * Molasses Tank, c. 1884–1889 * Tank House 4, c. 1884–1889 * East Boiler House, 1886 * Office and Cooperage, 1886 * Lunch Room, c. 1887 * Tank House 9, 1889 * Tank House 10, 1889 * Long Room, c. 1884–1891 * Rack House D, c. 1884–1891 * Rack House G, c. 1884–1891 * Rack House H, c. 1884–1891 * Rack House I, c. 1884–1891 * Rack House J, c. 1884–1891 * Pump House, 1896 * Case Goods House, 1927 * Rack House M, 1927

Demographics

The 2006 Census revealed that the population of the Distillery is largely composed of young adult to middle aged persons aged twenty to fifty-nine. Most households contain one to two persons. The immigrant population of the area is largely made up of persons of European descent with the overwhelming majority of the population not being visible minorities. The occupation data for the neighbourhood shows that almost a fifth of the residents work in social science/education/government service/religion. Those with jobs in sales and service, business, and arts/ culture/ recreation and sports make up a total of 48% of the occupation categories with an even split of 16% to each job category.CHASS - City of Toronto, Dissemination area 3175
StatsCan

References

;Bibliography * ;Notes

External links

Distillery District websiteDistillery Heritage website
{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Toronto Warehouse districts Warehouses in Canada Historic districts in Canada Economy of Toronto National Historic Sites in Ontario Restaurant districts and streets in Canada Distilleries in Canada Tourist attractions in Toronto City of Toronto Heritage Properties Pedestrian malls in Canada Entertainment districts in Canada Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Canada