Gareth Bate
Blog Published on "Everyone's An Art Critic" facebook Group
The Distillery District was supposed to be Toronto's new art neighbourhood but unfortunately it hasn't quite happened that way. I'm really thrilled that is is preserved, especially since Toronto has destroyed so much of its old architecture. It is pretty cool to have the only preserved Victorian industrial complex in the world but ultimately I really do not like going there. Firstly it is really out of the way. I hate the condos that have completely surrounded it as part of the new plan to bring a neighbourhood there. I think that condos were a bad idea. They would have been much better off building smaller buildings that were less invasive. Now it is looking like another Yorkville. The population increase will make a big difference to the neighbourhood. Hopefully in time it will grow to become more normal.
The biggest mistakes are making it a tourist destination instead of a living neighbourhood. Toronto does living neighbourhoods really well ex Kensington Market, The Annex, Queen West, Church Street, China Town, Roncesvalles, Riverdale, The Danforth, Little Italy, etc. They should have had boring old things like a grocery store, convience stores, flower shops, regular coffee shops and plain old restaurants in addition to the galleries and shops. Having so many crappy expensive boutiques is a huge mistake that ultimately means that few regular people want to visit the place. It seems to me that mostly tourists go there because they are told to.
If the Distillery had been created with a similar "mixed usage" model like 401 Richmond it would be much more successful. The Jane Jacobs Mixed Usage Model in this case should have meant allowing it to just become a regular neighbourhood like any other in the city. This regular neighbourhood just happened to be in an old industrial complex. This could have made for an exciting destination. Instead they close the gate at night and lock it up.
I love the architecture but I'm not the only one who thinks that it looks and feels like a concentration camp! The severe architecture needs the life of the city and also badly needs some green space and ivy on the walls to make it a bit friendlier. Even stunning 401 Richmond's eastern section (which does not have ivy and gardens) looks severe in comparison with the rest of the building which has the stunning courtyard.
Some of the interior spaces at the Distillery are really wonderful, but the only good galleries there are Artcore, Jane Corkin, Monte Clark and Sandra Ainsley (Glass). There are some other galleries that absolutely God awful! This is a shame as it lacks the solid quality galleries of other areas like Queen West. The architecture of Jane Corkin gallery is spectacular; Perhaps a little too spectacular as it seems to kill the art on the walls. How can the artwork compete with an environment like that? Sandra Ainsley Gallery is spectacular with it's Dale Chihuley glass sculptures. In that space the well lit glass seems capable of holding the space.
So in all I find the Distillery District had major potential but was blown because it lacked the proper vision to make it a successful neighbourhood rather than a tourist destination. Principally the problem is trying to control the outcome and aesthetic too much. The result is a dead venue that most people in the city don't like to visit. However, I have hope for it. I have already gotten the sense that things are changing and they are seeing the flaws. The increased population from the condo's will go a long way towards livening up the place and making it more like a real Toronto neighbourhood.
copyright Gareth Bate, 2008.
