This wonderful little building, in what is now called Liberty Village, was my studio for 10 years but as often happens it has been gentrified. It was the pay roll office for the Toronto Carpet Factory which built the complex in the late 1800s - 4 acres (a complete city block) with several large buildings surrounding interior courtyards and laneways. A total of 310,000 sq ft of space with exposed bricks, wooden floors, and wooden beams - incredible! During the 1970s the complex became artist studios - painters, sculptors, potters, photographers, etc (it was an exciting time to be there) but now is all occupied by corporate offices, restaurants, etc and the artists are gone. Our space became an architect office, then a business office, and for the last several years a restaurant - hence the addition of a deck which is rather windswept in this early a.m. shot. An absolutely super studio and a great time!
i also was in this complex and remember fondly the community of artists that developed there. i also remember your studio being the hub of a large part of the complex as artists would stop by on their way to their own studios or simply drop by for tea and conversation. amazing to see it now as this tarted up restaurant.
ReplyDeletethanks for the memory
wm
I really love renovated older buildings. The brickwork of older buildings, whether manufacturing or residential is always really nicely done. Not like it is today!
ReplyDeleteI know I sound like a curmudgeon, lol.