Distillery District - Toronto

© Christine Mastroianni, all rights reserved

The Distillery District in Toronto is a Victorian  pedestrian village brimming with everything that is hip and innovative. What used to be a thriving distillery operation in is now a sumptuous collaboration of cafes, galleries, shops, theatres, restaurants, and more. From the charismatic cobblestone streets that taunt your heels to the lavish building exteriors of jutted wood, grainy brick, and rugged stone, there is as much texture in its surfaces as there is in its cultural offerings. I have been wanting to go there and unleash my camera for some time now.

This past weekend, I finally ventured there.. at night, no less. You may wonder why I would choose nighttime to explore such a eclectic neighbourhood for my first time and be deprived of an unobstructed overview of all of its offerings. This wasn't originally my intention but it was either visit at night or visit during another excursion on another day, so without hesitation, I chose the former. Of course, it didn't take long to realise that this was a smart move. Now I have experienced the area in all of its nocturnal ambiance. I have seen just a hint of it, a glimpse, providing a sort of mystique that wouldn't be possible if daylight had previously revealed everything to me all at once..

The imposing structure above is now home to shops, one called Lileo, so identified. However, the map on the distillery's website affectionately refers to the original names of the buildings, identifying their reason for being, and provides the list of its current inhabitants in the legend. Thanks to this information, I now know that this is a photograph of what used to be The Maltings. Now as I read the names on the map, I recognised that many of the current business titles pay homage to their structures' original functions: Pure Spirits Oyster House is in the original "Pure Spirits" building, The Boiler House Restaurant where the "Boiler House" actually used to be... even Mill Street Brewery has a Tank House Ale tipping its hat to the tank houses, three of which still exist.