Past Success

The buildings that make up the Goodherham & Worts Distillery may be some of the oldest in Toronto, but in many ways the Distillery District has only recently arrived on the scene.

And what a celebrated arrival.

The latest laurels in its crown are a Toronto Heritage Award of Excellence, and the announcement that First Night Toronto will be relocating its popular, family-friendly end of year festival to the Distillery District.

Accomplishments such as these have become almost commonplace since the Distillery's official opening in May 2003. Indeed, the public has embraced its cobblestone charm, turning up in droves to visit its galleries, cafés, and boutiques, to attend concerts, and even to book wedding receptions (“The most romantic setting in Toronto,” nonchalantly claims the Distillery's website).

“I don't think it could have gone any better in terms of public acceptance than it has," said John Berman, one of the four partners at Cityscape Development Corp., the firm who transformed the sprawling Victorian Industrial complex into a “centre for arts, culture, and entertainment.”

The District has certainly come a long way in a short time. And no small measure of the Distillery's success lies in its ability to capitalize on its own history, both as an icon of the old liquor trade and as its continuing role as Hollywood film set. The Distillery website urges people to mingle on “Distillery Lane where Al Capone once purchased his illegal contraband or on Trinity Street where Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger filmed the Oscar-Award winning Chicago.”

Nostalgia and glamour are exceptionally effective marketing tools and coupled with a city that lacks other such multi-use heritage destinations, the Distillery seems destined for success.

The path to success is seldom a smooth one, however, and the Distillery District has had a few bumps along the way. There was an unpleasant legal dispute between Cityscape and its financial backer, William Wiener. There was hushed talk of financial disarray and tenant complaints. And there have been criticisms in the local media that the Distillery has become a Disneyfied tourist trap.

But in a city whose past is dead to it in so many ways, it's hard to dislike the Distillery. Walking through its alleyways and courtyards is like taking a trip through time, and with all the rapid-fire development that has erased this city's past, it's nice to have a living and vital reminder of Toronto's history.

Evidently this is a sentiment that carries. The Distillery is almost fully leased and, according to Berman, it is entering its final stage. This means no major changes or developments are in the works. This is a good thing; the Distillery will benefit even more from hands-off, organic growth.

What really does need a hands-on approach, however, is the provincially owned industrial wasteland that surrounds the Distillery. “The province and the federal government and the city have to get their act together and get the whole area developed,” said Berman. “It's been far too long with such an important piece of property and such an important area for the city. They have to do something.”

The Distillery remains an elegant oasis in a poorly developed part of town, and it may not truly reach its full potential until the area around it is improved. Unfortunately, at the moment, these improvements do not seem to be on the horizon. And that's too bad, because the Distillery deserves better. As Berman said: “There's no place like this. This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

It would be a shame if the opportunity were wasted.

Photographs by Jeff Vanderby