I seldom visit the Evergreen Brick works, more because of inertia rather than lack of interest. Today, instead of riding by the entrance, I decide to head in to explore. I have enjoyed previous visits: the memorable Picnic at Brick Works fundraiser event in 2010 when some of the top chefs in Toronto provided tastes of their skills. I still remember the simple yet delicious tomato soup made by Teddy Corrado that led me to declare him one of the top chefs in Toronto. Then to stop by for Jamie Kennedy’s superb fries, done to perfection using a two-day process.
Until the 1980’s, this area was a quarry and brick making facility that supplied many of the significant buildings of the city: Massey Hall, Casa Loma, Old City Hall, the Queen’s Park. The factory shut down and was heading towards urban blight as many factories that become obsolete. A developer bought the site. One can imagine the uproar: condo buildings rising from the Don Valley: a doom worse than abandoning the site to the fate of neglect. After a long and expensive process, the site was acquired by the city in 2010. Now it is protected with a heritage designation. The buildings are is dedicated to showcasing cleaner lifestyles: farmers’ markets, artisan markets, do-it-yourself bike repairs, exhibitions on better city planning.
I wander past the buildings to paths wending past ponds and streams. A sign makes known that this ecosystem is of importance and recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. Really? Is there a world heritagesite so close to home that I did not know about? I check out its claim. Alas, I don’t think it is. I search extensively and cannot find any proof that lends truth to this claim. No matter. A pleasant day it was.
https://www.evergreen.ca/evergreen-brick-works/
eBook on the history of the site:
https://www.evergreen.ca/downloads/pdfs/Transformation-EBW.pdf
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