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Hollywood of the North - Toronto's - The Distillery ( my Toronto Series)

By
Real Estate Agent

I know it seems like  My Toronto Visit Series never ends ~ but its such a fascinating City and there's so much to share ~ On my 2nd day in Toronto Sylvie and I headed out to the Distillery. It reminded me of Vancouver's Gastown in some ways.  It's one of Canada's premier arts, culture and heritage precincts.....a great forum for artists and creative industries.  

The Distillery District, is a national Historic Site and represents the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture in North America. Formerly known as The Gooderham and Worts Distillery,it's played an important role in the growth and wealth of both the city and nation.  At one time contributing more to the Federal coffers than any other enterprise in the country.  

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.

 

Some far out sculptures created by American artist Michael Christian have found a temporary home in the Historic Distillery District.  The large, metal pieces dominate the surrounding areas and are surreal monsters ready to pounce on unsuspecting visitors. Michael has become a sensation while participating in the very famous Burning Man Project.


One of the sculptures is a black, three legged spider, octupus type thing with a single eye on it's bulbous head and titled IT.

 

                        

 

The second sculpture called Koilos is a silver human type form that is crouching and viewed from the front you notice the head is a hollow flower shaped appendage.  

 

 

The Victorian setting of the Distillery offers an amazing opportunityfor amateur photographers like myself. We wandered up and down the brick-lined streetscapes, romantic laneways, and enjoyed the heritage architecture and obscure industrial artifacts, in the morning hours before the hustle and bustle of the lunch hour crowd.  Just one small taste of the many flavors of Toronto!

 

 

 Upcoming Calendar of Events:

    September 27   Portobello East Fashion and Art Market
  October 3   The Mompreneur Fall Show
    October 3   Nuit Blanche
    October 7   Chilean Wine Show
    October 25   Portobello East Fashion and Art Market
 
    October 31   Halloween Howl at the Distillery
    November 5-7   Children's Trunk Show
    November 29   Portobello East Fashion and Art Market
    December 12-13   Portobello East Fashion and Art Market

 

More Posts on My Toronto Trip

Sylvie Conde - Toronto Real Estate Expert - and Tour Guide Extraordinaire! (My Toronto Trip Part I)

Muskoka, Severn and Georgian Bay, Ontario - a Visit with my Cousin ( My Toronto Visit Part II)

From small town Coldwater to Victorian B & B in High Park ( My Toronto Trip Part III)

Indian Grove B & B ~ High Park, Toronto (My Toronto Trip Part IV) 

High Park - Toronto's Jewel of a Park - (My Toronto Visit Part V)

Niagara Falls- Canada's Horseshoe Falls ~Wonder of Wonders ~ (My Toronto Trip Part VI)

The American Niagara Falls ~ Yes there are Two! (My Toronto Trip Part VII) 

Getting Close Up and Personal on the Maid of the Mist - Niagara Falls - My Toronto Trip Part VIII

 

  

                                                    

If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property in Toronto - please give my dear friend and Uber Realtor  Sylvie Conde of Sutton Group a call at 416) 564-7431  ~ its her home town and she knows it and Real Estate and Toronto like the back of her hand ~ you'll be in good hands I promise!

On the other hand ~If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property in, Chilliwack, Hope, Abbotsford, Langley or anywhere in the Fraser Valley Area of B.C. - or if you would like more information please give Liz  Moras of Landmark Realty Chilliwack a call at- 604-799-0459 or e-mail at lizmoras@gmail.com.     

Copyright © 2009 By Liz Moras, All Rights Reserved. All photos by Liz Moras. All information provided by this author is only an opinion, it is not guaranteed, may be based on information collected from several sources, and may be time sensitive.  It is not necessarily representative of the opinions of Landmark Realty Chwk. Ltd..   

                               

 

 

Comments (13)

Sharon & Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette, IN - Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette homes for sale

Nice pictures and narrative, Liz.  Toronto looks like a cultural capital of the north. 

Sep 27, 2009 05:17 AM
Sylvie Conde
Sutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage - Toronto, ON
Broker, Toronto Real Estate

Liz, oh MY GOD ... thank you.  I don't know what to say.  That's very sweet of you.  I hope your BC clients all want to move here, and believe you. LOL :)

On the other hand, if they want to move there, I'll give them your name.
Thank you.

If you're around later, I'll give you a call. 

 

Sep 27, 2009 05:43 AM
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Liz, Very cool photos!  I hope "IT" does come alive and eat Toronto!  :-)

Sep 27, 2009 06:59 AM
Karen Cooper
Karen Cooper | Sr Mortgage Loan Originator ! NMLS # 223305 | First Federal Bank of Florida, Ocala, FL - The Villages, FL
Helping Homeowners w/Home Loans in 27 US States

Hi Liz - Those are some amazing sculptures! I think I'm going to need to head to Toronto one day to see them in person.

Sep 27, 2009 08:21 AM
Liz Loadholt
Liz Loadholt- AgentOwned Realty- Covering SC - Mount Pleasant, SC
Realtor--Broker-in-charge - Trainer--Relocation Director Covering SC

Thanks, Liz --- for making me feel as though I have been to
Toronto --

       
        Mama Liz

Sep 27, 2009 09:02 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Liz, I had to go look up the artist of those incredible metal sculptures when Sylvie posted one....I found it amazing (still do :).  I had no idea so many films were made there, what interesting history and another wonderful place you got to visit.

Sep 27, 2009 09:19 AM
Brian Madigan
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto) - Toronto, ON
LL.B., Broker

Liz,

This is a very nice series about Toronto. I hope you had a chance to test out the Mill Street Brewery when you were there.

Brian

Sep 27, 2009 01:10 PM
Kate Elim
Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA
Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Hi Liz...It's been years since my last trip to Toronto.  Actually its been abut 30+ years yet I still remember how impressed I was.

Kate

Sep 27, 2009 01:15 PM
Liz Moras Migic
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor

Brian - I didn't - we were there too early - but I did order some of the Mill St. brew at a pub later in the week and loved it!

Sep 27, 2009 01:19 PM
Jim Frimmer
HomeSmart Realty West - San Diego, CA
Realtor & CDPE, Mission Valley specialist

It would be okay with me if your Toronto series never ends. I've only been there once, but I'm desperate to go back. It's my second favorite Canadian city after Vancouver.

Sep 27, 2009 01:27 PM
Liz Moras Migic
Chilliwack, BC
Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor

Jim you mean to say you'v been reading my posts all along?  I don't think you've ever commented ! :-) Its my 2nd favorite cit in canada too! :-)  Mind you I really really like San Diego too~

Sep 27, 2009 02:39 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Liz, love the sculpture and the spider reminded me of a war of the worlds one in Woking, UK from one of those alien creatures.

Sep 27, 2009 03:05 PM
Lisa Hill
Florida Property Experts - Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Beach Real Estate

"a black, three legged spider, octupus type thing with a single eye on it's bulbous head"  ROFL! Yep. That's exactly what it looks like! I'm glad you provided us with the intricate details of that.  =P

And those people statues! OMG! Those are so cool! Are they made of concrete? I wish I could see those in person. I absolutely love to just wander around and take pictures of things like this. I am loving this series! Although I missed quite a few, so don't be surprised when I start working my way backward through them =P

...... Bummer! You didn't put these in the Things to Do/Places to Visit group! I was going to feature this =(

Sep 27, 2009 05:15 PM