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The Design Exchange (DX) is a Canadian event venue. It is located in
The federal agency, Design Canada, closed in 1985, followed by the University of Toronto's (soon rescinded) announcement in 1986 that its school of architecture was to be shut down. In 1983, the Toronto Stock Exchange moved out of 234 Bay Street, which was a designated heritage property since 1978. Olympia and York (O&Y) purchased the building.
A study commissioned by O&Y indicated that there was support for using the building as a cultural design centre. Advocates of this proposal gathered in January 1986 to lobby the city government, and the city recognized ten of them as "The Group for the Creation of a Design Centre in Toronto", which legally became an organization in 1987 and later became the Design Exchange organization. A study launched by the city found that the proposal was "both possible and desirable".
The Bay Street property was sold in 1986 to 
In 1996, a permanent collection was established. DX held exhibitions and also organized educational programs and design awards. In March 2012 the Design Exchange came under the directorship of Shauna Levy, and began to operate exclusively as a design museum. In 2015, DX was organizing exhibitions in other locations, such as ''Smarter.Faster.Tougher.'', an exhibition about the design of sportswear.
In 2017, the Design Exchange launched a 10-day festival called Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology (EDIT), in partnership with the
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
's financial district in the historical Toronto Stock Exchange
The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; ) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the List of stock exchanges, 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in th ...
building, that was incorporated into a skyscraper in 1991, the Toronto-Dominion Centre (222 Bay Street). The organization operated a design museum, but this museum was closed in 2019. Since 2017, it hosts a biennial design festival, the Expo for Design, Innovation, & Technology (EDIT).
History
The federal agency, Design Canada, closed in 1985, followed by the University of Toronto's (soon rescinded) announcement in 1986 that its school of architecture was to be shut down. In 1983, the Toronto Stock Exchange moved out of 234 Bay Street, which was a designated heritage property since 1978. Olympia and York (O&Y) purchased the building.
A study commissioned by O&Y indicated that there was support for using the building as a cultural design centre. Advocates of this proposal gathered in January 1986 to lobby the city government, and the city recognized ten of them as "The Group for the Creation of a Design Centre in Toronto", which legally became an organization in 1987 and later became the Design Exchange organization. A study launched by the city found that the proposal was "both possible and desirable".
The Bay Street property was sold in 1986 to Cadillac Fairview
The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, branded as Cadillac Fairview, is a Canadian company that invests in, owns, and manages commercial real estate, mainly in Canada and the United States. As of March 2017, the company had 73 properties, enco ...
and the Toronto Dominion Bank but O&Y required that the design centre idea would be kept. The new owner had to pay the city $500,000 a year to use for running the centre. This centre was named the Design Exchange in 1988 and control of it was handed to the citizens' group which had advocated for it.
In 1996, a permanent collection was established. DX held exhibitions and also organized educational programs and design awards. In March 2012 the Design Exchange came under the directorship of Shauna Levy, and began to operate exclusively as a design museum. In 2015, DX was organizing exhibitions in other locations, such as ''Smarter.Faster.Tougher.'', an exhibition about the design of sportswear.
In 2017, the Design Exchange launched a 10-day festival called Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology (EDIT), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
. The festival was held in East Harbour, an old soap factory.
In 2019, the DX gave Razor Suleman the position of chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. The Design Exchange's collection was deaccessioned in the same year, with the institution ceasing operation of its design museum. The closure of the museum saw the Design Exchange's efforts reoriented towards the biennial EDIT event.
Also in 2019, the Design Exchange became the home of Elevate, a Canadian not-for-profit that operates an annual tech festival.
In 2022, the Design Exchange re-opened as an event venue with over . The Design Exchange was renovated and reopened to the public in April 2023. The renovated space was redesigned to pay tribute to the building's architecture while providing a contemporary refresh.
See also
* List of design museums *Industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
References
{{Museums and galleries in Toronto Museums in Toronto Art museums and galleries in Ontario Design museums Path (Toronto) Art museums and galleries established in 1994 1994 establishments in Ontario KPMB Architects buildings