Boundaries
The Distillery District is bounded by Front St. to the north, the rail way tracks to the south, Parliament St. to the west and Cherry St. to the east
History
In 1831, James Worts immigrated to Canada from England at which time he established a grist mill. One year later, his brother-in-law, William Gooderham, a successful merchant and miller in England, immigrated to Canada with 2 families, their servants and 11 orphans - in all 54 people. Shortly after his arrival, he decided to invest $3.000 into Worts milling business and thus the Gooderham and Worts partnership was born. Two years later Worts' wife died during childbirth. So distraught was James Worts, that on that day, he took his own life by throwing himself into the company well. Despite this, Gooderham continued building the business later partnering with James Worts' eldest son. In 1837, spurred on by the increase in the harvest of grain from Upper Canada's farms, he decided to add a distillery and that same year produced his first whiskey.
In 1990, after 153 years of continuous production, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery - once the largest distillery in the British empire - ceased operations. During the 90s, The Distillery became the number one film location in Canada, and the second largest film location outside of Hollywood.
In December 2001 Cityscape Holdings Inc. purchased The Distillery, and later partnered with Dundee Realty Corporation. In May 2003, The Distillery was officially opened, thereby implementing an ambitious plan by the owners to create a pedestrian - only village entirely dedicated to arts, culture and entertainment.
General Description
The Distillery, once the world's largest distillery, is today an historial site with one of the largest collections of Victorian Industrial Architecture in North America. A massive centre for arts and culture, this facility has over 15 art galleries, Dancemakers Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Soulpepper Theatre, Tapestry Opera Theatre and Nightwood Theatre. Toronto's only walking district, the centre also offers distillery tours and segway, a sophisticated shopping district with interesting boutiques, a microbrewery and a chocolate micro factory. The centre is home to several festivals throughout the year including Partigras, Roots Music Festival, Blues Festival, Antique Festival, Art Exhibitions and Natural Health Showcase. Home to a popular summer market, many restaurants and cafes make their home here, and the magical lighting program makes it a popular evening spot.
With the de-industrialization 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 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.
The district is now home to many professionals living in some of the cities finest lofts.
