Developers announce plans to repurpose Distillery District building
The last remaining heritage building in Toronto’s Distillery District will soon be repurposed.
Developers Easton's Group of Hotels, which represents a number of upscale hotel properties across the country, announced recently that it will transform the property at 60 Mill Street into Canada's only Curio by Hilton hotel.
Construction is slated to begin later this year.
Once completed, the full-service hotel will stand 31 storeys, spanning 288,000 square feet with 392 guest rooms, and a roof-top bar. The base three floors will preserve the building’s heritage as a rack house that was constructed in the 1890s.
In its heyday, the building stored up to 15,000 barrels of alcohol as part of the liquor manufacturing operations of the Distillery District, until its closure in 1990.
While the tower emerges from the top of the heritage building, it will feature "reveal floors," which will be significantly set back to allow for a distinct visual separation between the old and the new.
Designing the building are IBI Architects, ERA Heritage Architects and Studio Munge.
"We're thrilled to bring Curio by Hilton to Canada, supporting the Distillery District as a vibrant community and tourist destination that is highly in need of hotel accommodations," says Dr. Steve Gupta, Founder & Chairman of Easton's Group of Hotels. "Working with an immensely talented team of architects and designers, Easton's Group of Hotels will restore this historic building and transform it into a cherished landmark, celebrating its prolific history while leaving a legacy for decades to come."
Part of the reason this building had not yet been restored or in use for over 30 years is because the original architecture was extremely complicated.
While the building was technically six storeys, it had no floors because it was designed for storing thousands of barrels of alcohol along wooden racks. In fact, the barrel storage racks forming the middle of the building are currently supporting the building itself, so any adaptation will require significant efforts to ensure that it is sufficiently supported once they are removed.
Easton's Group of Hotels will convert these six storeys into only three levels for Curio by Hilton in order to maintain the long windows, expose the original heavy brickwork, and give visitors a glimpse into the past.
Featured image: Rendering of Curio by Hilton in Toronto's Distillery District. (The Gupta Group)