Canadians have long been captivated by Europe and its distinctive way of life. For many, traveling at least once to the “Old Continent” —to stroll through Paris, Rome, London or Barcelona— is a lifelong dream. Those cities represent the sophistication and cosmopolitan charm they associate with life across the Atlantic.
A few decades ago, a saying used to circulate among newcomers in Toronto, filled with both irony and longing: “If you want to go out for dinner, you have to go to Montreal.”
At that time, Ontario’s capital was seen as the reserved, puritan counterpart to Quebec’s more relaxed and culturally expressive Montreal. The latter reigned as Canada’s financial and artistic hub, while Toronto was a modest lakeside town still searching for identity and purpose.
But the tide turned. As Montreal became mired in political uncertainty and self-absorption, Toronto seized the opportunity to reinvent itself. It grew confident, diverse and cosmopolitan—rising from its quiet provincial image to become Canada’s financial powerhouse and one of the most economically dynamic cities in North America today.
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Toronto is cosmopolitan and multiracial. Its urban and architectural rebirth meets no rival among other cities of the world: 165 skyscrapers were built last year, more than any other place on the planet.
That urban and social revolution has brought about frenetic cultural life and a new global gastronomic cartography that has also influenced the old tradition-based customs. Toronto’s streets ooze vitality and offer visitors a growing urban scenario characterized by restaurants, pubs, leisure halls, museums, art galleries, and stores.
Distillery District, a sophisticated neighborhood
Some of Toronto’s streets, such as Yonge, King, Queen, Adelaide or Bay, confirm that “Europeanization” that is described by those who want to graphically explain the dimension of the change experienced by the city. Distillery District rises beyond all those long and noisy arteries, a neighborhood with industrial past, which gathers in just a few streets everything the people of Toronto wanted and they now have: a city with European taste.
Toronto’s Distillery District is a historic and amusement site, nestled in the eastern area of the city. It’s a sophisticated neighborhood that comprises numerous cafes, restaurants, terraces, art galleries and fashion and antique stores, which occupy buildings and spaces of old Gooderham and Worts Distillery.
The old industrial area has moved away from its original objectives and it has become one of the most selected and visited places in Toronto. This 53.000-square meter area includes over 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets, so its stands out as the largest sample of industrial architecture from the Victorian age in North America. The district was declared Canada’s National Historic Site in 1988.
Gooderham and Worts Distillery was founded back in 1832 and it later became the biggest distillery of the world. There was a time when it produced over 7 million liters of whisky for the world market and it triggered a movement of merchandise and trade transactions that played a leading role in the economic development of Toronto.
As most of the industrial sectors on which the economy of the city was based during the first half of the 20th century, the lack of modernization and change of production models pushed distilleries into a slow but irreversible decline.
In 1990 the center definitely stopped its production and the urban area became pure industrial archaeology, while the city was growing around with new residential buildings that made the industrial past of the area fall into oblivion.
Finally, it was restored and adapted to the new times and demands of the new Toronto, a city focused on the travel industry and services. Ever since the old distilleries have been in the background of over 800 movies and TV productions.
Photo of the portrait: taken from Depositphotos
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