Distillery District

Distillery District
Neighbourhood
Distillery District street level
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto

Template:Infobox nhsc The Distillery District is a historic and entertainment precinct located east of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. The 13-acre (52,000 sq. m) district comprises more than 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets, and is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.

The district was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988.

History

Gooderham and Worts distillery, circa 1860

The Gooderham and Worts Distillery was founded in 1832, and by the late 1860s was the largest distillery in the world. Once providing over 2 million US gallons (7,600,000 L) 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 mainline and its proximity to the mouth of the original route of the Don River 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 dominate industrial center or transshipping hub.

With the deindustrialization 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 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 district's unique ambiance began to attract numerous film shoots. Since 1990, the site has served as a location for over 800 film and television productions (see list).

Redevelopment

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 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, jewellery stores, cafés, and coffeehouses, including a well-known microbrewery, the Mill Street Brewery. 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, 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 district.

There has been some criticism of the district's redevelopment. Some have suggested that the area's gentrification has resulted in yet another upscale shopping district competing for the money 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 district is not dominated by large retail chains.

Regardless of any criticism, the preservation and active reuse 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 Distillery District is an excellent example of successful brown field regeneration. The concept of brown field regeneration is to redevelopment underutilized industrial or commercial land that has been contaminated or no longer functions as its previous use. Prior to the Distillery Districts regeneration the area was used as a film location for numerous Hollywood movies. Although this did bring some use to the area, the buildings and site was poorly maintained and did not provide a service or function to the surrounding community and the City of Toronto.

During the regeneration, the old industrial buildings were refitted with a series of mixed-use development and placed special emphasis on the creation of a functional entertainment and art district that incorporated commercial, residential and institutional uses. For example the location of the original Tank House buildings have been redeveloped to incorporate the Yonge Center of Performing Arts and George Brown College. Today the Distillery has preserved the distinctive heritage aspects of the area and brought a new life into district.

Governing Policy Documents

The 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 where the locations of the commercial, residential and other land uses are. 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 .

In addition, the Ontario Heritage Act 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” . In particular, 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 Cities master plan (official plan) and is reflective of the provinces Planning Act (1990), (which sets out the ground rules for land use planning).

Current Physical Description and Characteristics

At street level the Distillery District is extremely pedestrian friendly and mostly does not allow any large motor vehicle traffic on its paths. The paths are anchored with distinct landmarks in the form of several large sculptures at ground level, three being on Distillery Lane and the final one at the main nodal entry point for those who choose to park in the lot at the end of Trinity Street. Another primary landmark is the chimney stack atop the Boiler House Complex. The paths are primarily stone with little modern styled pavement and also have sitting spaces in the form of tables and chairs in several areas outside of food shops and restaurants that are open to the public. The main pathways within the District are Distillery Lane from Parliament Street running south-east to Trinity Street, Trinity Street from Mill Street at its north end to the parking lot at its south end and Tank House Lane From Cherry Trinity Street east to Cherry Street. The four borders of the distillery are Parliament Street, Mill Street and the parking lot area to the south with the condominiums along Distillery Lane forming hard edges to pedestrians. The sum total of the area is known by name as a district but within the Distillery District itself are the residential areas at Parliament and Distillery and at the eastern end of Mill Street up to Cherry, the restaurant area focused on Trinity Street, Tank House Lane, Brewery Lane and Case Goods Lane, and the educational area at the eastern end of Tank House Lane.

Other Points of Interest

Physical observation is crucial in connecting people data sets and their built environment. By using the approaches of qualitative analysis through theories and practices produced by experts such as Jane Jacobs, Allan Jacobs and Christopher Alexander we can determine how physical evidence can support conclusions made about the area.

Jane Jacobs: discusses the notion of eyes on the street. This principal creates a safe and welcoming neighbourhood by ensuring that residents have a clear view of what’s occurring within the streets and public spaces. The Distillery offers services such as neighbourhood watch and hired security which connects physical elements with the conclusion that the residents are activity involved within ensuring there area is safe and protected.

Allan Jacobs: suggests using visual evidence to inform planning conclusions. He states that it is critical to experience observations first hand in order to compare quantitative (census data) with what is actually going on (qualitative data). This is due to the fact that cities (and neighbourhoods) change rapidly, and data often it not updated frequently enough for planners to rely simple on qualitative data to inform their conclusions. That being said, it is important to connect real people with data sets that are provided. By using a method such as Jacobian analysis we can also determine whether or not a hypothesis such as gentrification is an appropriate assumption. By combining census data of annual incomes, the age of residents as well as housing costs with physical evidence (such as lack of affordable housing or sufficient housing space) we can make accurate conclusions regarding whether or not gentrification is actually occurring within the neighbourhood.

Christopher Alexander: created the idea of using pattern language that can be applied at various scales (i.e. cities, towns, neighbourhoods etc). A pattern can describe a problem or issue that is reoccurring; however the solution to the problem can be also be derived from the pattern that arises. Patterns can help us understand how streetscapes and boundaries of a neighbourhood function. Alexander also discusses three major components of neighbourhoods being streets, public space and residential components. Through this qualitative analysis we can determine that a series of patterns such as path shape, promenades, building fronts and street cafes function together to create a unique neighbourhood environment for the Distillery District.

Future Development

Today the Distillery District continues to undergo rapid change. The area has been brought into the modern era through its commitment to sustainable development and mixed-use utilization ,all while maintaining its unique historic built form, and looks forward to additional integration of modern growth through the building of new condominiums. The new condo developments will be located at the south-east corner of the neighbourhood, bordering on Cherry Street and Tank House Lane [NP, 2008]. In addition to this, the PanAm Games Athlete’s Village will soon be joining the local area. Current plans place it just north-east of the Distillery proper at the intersection of Cherry and Mill Streets. This along with the rest of the West Don Lands redevelopment to the east will undoubtedly bring an influx of visitors and from many locations as well as new residents to the neighborhood [Toronto Water Front].

Buildings

The Cooperage with its prominent cupola

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, the inventory of the main structures on the site is as follows:

• the Stonehouse Distillery, designed by David Roberts Sr., near the then shoreline of Lake Ontario;
• a 31-metre (100 ft) chimneystack;
• the Malt House (built in 1860), now called the Maltings;
• Double-D Rackhouse;
• the Molasses Storage building;
• the Boiler House - Land Mark;
• the Tank House - Land Mark;
• the Stables;
• the Cannery;
• the Paint Shop;
• the various tankhouses (originally seven of which only three survive today);
• the Denaturing Room;
• the Crapper;
• Rack Houses M, G, and J;
• the Pump House - Land Mark;
• the Case Goods Warehouse;
• the Wharf (now demolished);
• the Cooperage;
• the Outhouse;
• the Grain Elevator and Warehouse, located at the wharf (and since demolished);
• the Pure Spirits Building (built in 1870); and
• the Grist Mill/Windmill, which was built in 1832 at a height of 21 metres (71 ft). It ceased to be a windmill in 1846, and was rebuilt after damage from a storm in the 1850s and disappeared by 1866. A replica was built in 1954, but it was demolished to make way for the Gardiner Expressway.

See also

• List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto
• Gooderham Building - Built to hold the offices of the Gooderham & Worts Distillery

External links

• Distillery District website
• Events at The Distillery District
• Historic Distillery District
• Jaded tourists wowed by Gooderham & Worts
• The Gooderham and Worts Factory Complex (now the Distillery District)
• Miss Whisky — The Rise And Fall of Canada's Forgotten Distillery
• Facts of Wind Energy
• Balancing Heritage Conservation in the Private Sector: A case study of the Distillery District in Toronto a video presentation by Michael McClelland, E.R.A. Architects Inc., February 16, 2006
• Distillery Heritage website