The Ownership team of Toronto’s famed Gooderham & Worts Distillery District thought so.
The largest and most intact brownfield site in Canada was purchased by Cityscapes Development Inc. in 2001 and it features a collection of 40 Victorian brick and timber whisky production buildings. It was a beautiful time capsule, but the prospect of developing it into a successful commercial neighbourhood would require some real chutzpah and vision.
With very little budget and a lot of potential downside, Cityscape Development decided that their first visionary step would take the shape of a destination restaurant. mackaywong took the lead and was challenged with a creative brief that demanded an approach to reuse, recycle and plan innovatively. A very ambitious mandate indeed, but the design team understood that this unique project afforded everyone an opportunity to not only celebrate the material essence and architectural spirit of this 19th Century industrial district, but also through the process of construction to educate and give something of meaning back to the community.
Photography by David Whittaker
