CULTURE

Evergreen Brickworks, Toronto

Evergreen Brick Works is located on Bayview Avenue in the floodplain of the Don River Valley just north of the Bloor Street Viaduct in downtown Toronto. Due to its strategic location, it is considered one of the key initiatives associated with the restoration of the Don River.

Formerly the Don Valley Brick Works, the site was formerly an industrial brick quarry that was acquired in 1989 by the TRCA.₂ Evergreen, a “national non-profit that inspires green action for cities” initiated the transformation of the site into an ecological heritage icon for the City of Toronto. Evergreen’s vision was to “redevelop the Industrial Pad into a mixed-use centre for experiencing the relationship between Nature, Culture and Community. This centre called Evergreen at the Brick Works models sustainability on all fronts from the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings using green design, to creating an economically self-sustaining operation”. ₃The City of Toronto, Parks and Recreation Department, manages the Brick Works Park for the TRCA. The Friends of the Brick Works are a volunteer organization also actively involved with on-going park management and any associated development proposals.

Condos in the RavineBefore the TRCA purchased this land from a developer for $14 million, it had been zoned for condo development that the developer had purchased from a long line of brick-related businesses for only $4 million.

Community Venue for Upscale EventsThe combination of the Brick Works’ relatively new status and isolation in a ravine mean it is not an everyday gathering space yet. Instead, unique city-wide events are held on a more weekly and monthly basis have proven quite successful, as people using the neighbouring trails continue to run and cycle in the park. That said, they have definitely found a market and created a sense of place that people can expect the unique design and amenities to continue to deliver.

Community Centre with “Triple Bottom Line” Model
Economic Return & Incentive: By facilitating the year-round farmer’s market and a host of city-wide specialty events, the Brick Works forms connections between farmer and neighbour, allowing them in turn to provide free workshops and evens, and afford things like a flood budget. Ecological Sustainability: Flood-resilient, native-plant growing, habitat restoring, vegetation researching, and wetland rehabilitating. Social Connector: Providing a place and space in which people of all backgrounds can connect over food, plants, and the arts.