Toronto may be known for its modern venues, but it has many historic ones, too—and several have been revitalized to environmental and accessibility standards.

 

Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place

Conference and event guests are in for a remarkable experience at any of these decades- and centuries-old Toronto venues. Each offers a unique glimpse into the city's rich past, while also ensuring modern-day environmental and accessibility standards via Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a worldwide green building certification program, and the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act. Here’s a glimpse into some of these revitalized spaces.
 

 

Evergreen Brick Works

This sprawling former brick quarry has an aesthetic that embraces contrasts: century-old brick kilns, raw steel, masses of native flowers and edgy graffiti.

 

Where to meet

Brick Works can accommodate corporate galas, meetings and team-building activities (think: nature hikes, campfires and gardening) in the BMO Atrium, CRH Gallery & Koerner Gardens, The Frances and Tim Price Terrace and The Pavilions, which is a covered outdoor space.

Ontario Vintage Market
Ontario Vintage Market at Evergreen Brick Works

The back story

Evergreen Brick Works was home to the Don Valley Brick Works from 1889 to the early 1980s, churning out up to 43 million bricks every year. “In a lot of the major historical buildings in Toronto, the bricks were actually made at the Brick Works,” says Meghan Brazil, Director of Events and Visitor Experience at Evergreen Canada. As for the abundant graffiti, Brazil says that traces to 1990s-era raves held when the site sat unoccupied. “We’ve maintained [the graffiti],” she says. “It's a heritage site and a lot of legendary graffiti artists’ work is exhibited throughout the space.”

“[Adaptive reuse principles] reduces waste compared to demolishing a structure and building a new one.”

– Meghan Brazil, Director of Events and Visitor Experience, Evergreen Canada

Revitalization

The site reopened in 2010 as green city and event space. The sensitive upgrading of historic structures was based on an adaptive reuse principle. “[This] reduces waste compared to demolishing a structure and building a new one,” says Brazil. Similar care was taken with outdoor spaces. Sections of the former quarry were transformed into ponds—a thriving habitat for turtles and birds.

  • Sustainability: The main building is LEED Platinum certified. 
  • Accessibility: Parking, washrooms, meeting spaces and pond lookouts are accessible.

 

 

Queen Richmond Centre West (QRC-West)

This 11-storey office building his hoisted high above two heritage structures via gigantic steel delta frames.

 

Where to meet

QRC-West in Toronto’s Entertainment District hosts business groups of up to 1,200 people in their atrium space. There’s also on-site restaurant, Ricarda’s, that can accommodate 150.

 

The back story

The historic building served as a biscuit factory from 1915 to the 1970s. 

Revitalization

After the biscuit factory closed, a question remained: how to preserve two heritage buildings while also adding office space? The answer: a feat of engineering. The architects enlisted a steel fabricator to make a frame with 40-inch-wide tubular legs. Each frame can support nearly 18 million pounds. The resulting 11-storey complex above the original structures was completed in 2015.

  • Sustainability: LEED Gold certification.
  • Accessibility: Both the atrium and the restaurant are wheelchair accessible

 

 

Toronto Botanical Gardens and Edwards Gardens

In this lush four-acre uptown oasis, meetings take place in brightly reimagined mid-century buildings with a stunning backdrop of ever-changing seasonal garden displays.

 

Where to meet

The George and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Horticulture includes two indoor meeting halls, two outdoor courtyards and studio rooms.

The George and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Horticulture
The George and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Horticulture

The back story

What’s now the Edwards Gardens site was purchased by Toronto businessman Rupert Edwards in 1944 from a Scottish milling family who had settled there since 1817. Edwards gets credit for transforming the weed-ridden acres into a glorious garden with one of the largest rockeries in Canada. Ultimately Edwards sold it to the city in the 1950s on condition it become public parkland.

Revitalization

After a redesign in 2005, the main building now features a striking 5,000-square-foot glass pavilion, the introduction of accessible washrooms and meeting spaces, as well as LEED certification. The gardens were given an upgrade in 2006 and most paths are now paved, wide and level. The updates received a Design Excellence Award from the Ontario Association of Architect in 2008.

  • Sustainability: LEED Silver certification.
  • Accessibility: Accessible parking, washrooms, elevators and paved paths in the main gardens. The venue also has a sensory backpack available for loan that includes headphones, sunglasses and fidget toys. 

Wychwood Barns

Owned by the city and operated by a non-profit called ArtHubs, this former streetcar maintenance facility has lots of light, soaring brick walls, historic photographs and original machinery and tracks. 

 

Where to meet

The Street Barn, the main meeting space, and an open-air courtyard are both available.

 

The back story

The former streetcar maintenance facility features five barns that are excellent examples of Classic Revival architecture, each built from 1913 onwards. By 1996, due to declining streetcar use, the site was slated for demolition until community opposition inspired an adaptive reuse plan.

Wychwood Farmer's Market
Wychwood Farmer's Market

Revitalization

Completed in 2008 with carefully chosen materials and guiding principles of preservation, community and sustainability, each structure has a different usage: the main meeting space, live/work artist studios, not-for-profits and a year-round farmers’ market.

  • Sustainability: LEED Gold certification
  • Accessibility: Wychwood Barns is fully accessible; the venue recently hosted its second annual Disability Holiday Market, where disabled artists showcased their work.

 

 

Beanfield Centre

This restored Art Deco masterpiece is Canada’s first LEED Silver-certified conference centre.

 

Where to meet

The 160,000-square-foot Beanfield Centre boasts Toronto’s largest ballroom, which can be divided into two spaces with space for up to 4,000 guests. The venue also features three pre-function rooms and 20 meeting rooms. The adjoining Enercare Centre offers an additional one million square feet of exhibition space.

“We had to modernize the facility so we could use it as a meeting space [while paying] our respects to the heritage aspects of the building.”

– Laura Purdy, General Manager, Exhibition Place.

 

The back story

Part of Exhibition Place by Toronto’s waterfront, Beanfield Centre was designed by Torontonian Douglas Edwin Kertland and built in 1929. Originally called the Automotive Building, this was a place where automakers could exhibit new models, including Volkswagen’s Canadian debut in 1952 and the world premiere of the Edsel in 1957.

Beanfield Centre
Beanfield Centre

Revitalization

The 2008 restoration retained the historic exterior, while transforming the interior into a modern, highly functional conference, meeting and event facility. “We had to modernize the facility so we could use it as a meeting space [while paying] our respects to the heritage aspects of the building,” says Laura Purdy, General Manager of Exhibition Place. “It's a listed heritage property. As such, we actually retained two different architects for the project: one was a heritage architect who preserved the heritage aspects of the building and the other… was responsible for the modernization of the building.”

  • Sustainability: LEED Silver certification.
  • Accessibility: Fully accessible. Purdy says another project is underway to replace carpeting on the second floor, which will enhance visual cues near elevators and escalators for those with low vision.

Story created in partnership with Ignite Magazine.