A Brief History of Whisky, War, and a Windmill

In 1832, two English immigrants built a windmill on the edge of Toronto Bay, unaware that this site would later develop into one of the British Empire’s largest distilleries and one of Toronto’s most vibrant arts and culture communities. Today, the national historic site is a well preserved document of Toronto’s industrial heritage and the Victorian industrial architecture serves as a backdrop for Toronto’s independent arts and entertainment scene.

Toronto - 1834 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

1800s: A Windmill in the Wilderness

The Distillery District as we know it today has come a long way from its humble roots as a “windmill in the wilderness.” The original distillery was founded by brothers-in-law James Worts and William Gooderham who first built a 22-metre windmill on the shores of Toronto Bay in 1832. The duo had emigrated from England with their families, servants, and 11 orphans in tow. Worts boasted 20 years of experience as a miller while Gooderham was a skilled businessman. Together they built up the gristmill until Worts’ untimely death in 1834 (he threw himself into the company well after his wife died during childbirth).

Gooderham continued the business alone, eventually replacing wind power with steam and adding a distillery to the mill in 1837. Gooderham produced his first whisky that same year. The distillery was constructed in several phases beginning on Trinity Street in 1859, and was ideally situated along the Canadian National Railway near the mouth of the original route of the Don River outlet into Lake Ontario.

Replica of original windmill - 1954 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

In the absence of Worts, Gooderham brought more family into the business, making both his nephew, John Gooderham Worts, and son George partners in the company. Together, they continued to build a limestone mill and a distillery, creating one of the largest distilleries in the British Empire. The factory had a production capacity of 80,000 to 2 million US gallons of whisky per year. The company shipped spirits to Montreal, Saint John, Halifax, New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires, Montevideo. Their factory also played an important role in the growth and wealth of Toronto, contributing more to Federal coffers than any other enterprise in the entire country.

Looking east along Esplanade - 1894 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

Many of the buildings in this district were designed by an Irish-born engineer and millwright, David Roberts, Sr., and his son David Roberts Jr.. Roberts had also emigrated to Toronto in 1844, and his Canadian-born son would later contribute a number of architectural gems to Toronto including the Flat Iron building at Wellington and Church. The distillery grew to include a number of new buildings including flour mills, a wharf, storehouses, an icehouse, a cooper shop, and a dairy.

Though the windmill is long gone, the Stone Distillery is now considered one of the oldest and largest heritage buildings in the Distillery District. Many of the Victorian buildings constructed in the mid-1890s by Roberts Sr. and Jr. have also become part of the national heritage site, and serve as a symbol of Toronto’s industrial boom.

Flat Iron building at Wellington and Church - 1898 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

1900s: War, Prohibition, & Film

During World War I, the distillery was repurposed for the war effort. The factory began producing a key ingredient for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder - acetone. Prohibition had also been introduced across Canada as part of the War Measures Act, and persisted in Toronto after the war. No longer used for alcohol or wartime production, the Gooderham & Worts family business began to falter and was sold to Harry C. Hatch in 1923. Hatch retained control of the buildings until prohibition ended in Ontario, adding two more buildings to the distillery in 1927 and profiting heavily from American prohibition.

Looking north at Parliament and Mill Street - 1907 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

In 1957, the factory stopped distilling rye whisky, relying solely on rum and industrial alcohol as its main products. In 1990, the distillery officially closed in the midst of the economic recession, delaying any efforts to revitalize the district. While awaiting a redevelopment opportunity, the district’s unique character served as a set for a number of film and television productions including Cinderella Man, Chicago, and X-Men. The district found a new life as the second largest film location outside of Hollywood, and served as a set for over 1,700 films.

The area continued to deindustrialize, leaving the distillery in a state of disuse and neglect. Surrounding commercial and industrial buildings were also demolished, and the distillery became one of the last and largest examples of Victorian-era industrial architecture left in Toronto. The buildings might have been lost forever if Cityscape Holdings Inc. and Dream Developments (formerly Dundee) had not teamed up at the national historic site in 2001, with plans to create a Distillery Heritage District.

2000s: Rebirth

Cityscape set to work transforming the district into a pedestrian-oriented area that celebrated the Victorian architecture of the industrial buildings. They took care to preserve the buildings, the brick paved streets, and the landmark chimney stack atop the Boiler House complex to keep the district in line with its original character.

The new district was soon inhabited by a number of galleries, cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. In 2002, the award-winning Mill Street brewery opened, named after its original location at 55 Mill Street (the brewing facilities later moved to Scarborough and the original location now serves as a brewpub). The site also features the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, which is home to Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company. The district’s new owners were careful not to lease to any chains or franchises, keeping the site unique and a haven for Toronto’s independent businesses and arts community.

Clear Spirit

The community also features a number of condominium developments including Clear Spirit and the Gooderham by Cityscape and Dream, named after the site’s original resident. The condominium overlooks the 13-acre historic site and is just steps from restaurants and unique cafes. Just as Gooderham introduced the latest technology to Toronto when he switched from wind to steam power, the Gooderham condominium continues this tradition by incorporating the latest “green” design principles and an emphasis on energy efficiency.

The Distillery District’s independent, curated retail space is now serving as a prototype for other districts, including its neighbour the Canary District. Dream Developments is applying the strategies developed in the Distillery District to its new condominium and townhome development at Front and Cherry. Like the Distillery District, the Canary District will emphasize pedestrian routes and walkability through the incorporation of courtyards and laneways, and will continue the Waterfront development along the guidelines established in the revitalization of the Distillery District.

Clear Spirit and Gooderham - 2013

Though the Distillery District could have been an excellent museum or pioneer village, its revitalization demonstrates how heritage buildings can be repurposed to both maintain their historical character while also functioning as a hub for the arts and culture community. As Toronto continues to grow and evolve, developers must take note of the standards set by the Distillery District, and think of the historical legacies Toronto can preserve through conscious development.

Feature image: Parliament and Mill, looking south - 1907 - via Torontopubliclibrary.ca