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John Street Roundhouse: Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, Steam Whistle, The Rec Room

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AlvinofDiaspar

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From the City of Toronto website:

September 26, 2006&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
City of Toronto to revitalize the historic John Street Roundhouse: plan includes new railway museu
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
Today, Toronto City Council approved an agreement in principle for the reuse and revitalization of the John Street Roundhouse that will include a new railway museum.

The John Street Roundhouse is a 32-bay semi-circular structure formerly used by Canadian Pacific Railway for rail car maintenance purposes and is now owned by the City. Since 1999, bays one to 11 have been leased to Steam Whistle Brewery while the other bays have been largely unused. The amendments to the existing lease will allow Steam Whistle Brewery to expand its brewery operation and provide additional revenue to the City. The agreement also includes a head lease for the roundhouse with State Developments, in partnership with Tenen Developing and Producing, for the restoration and reuse of the remainder of the building, and includes provisions for a railway museum and the restoration of the railway turntable.

“The revitalization of the historic John Street Roundhouse is the realization of a long held goal of the City of Toronto,†said Mayor David Miller. “The proposed agreement will ensure that this national historic site will endure as a monument to Toronto’s industrial past, will continue to enrich Toronto’s architectural fabric and provide a lasting legacy for future generations.â€

The adaptive reuse of historic structures is a key component of the City of Toronto’s Culture Plan. The John Street Roundhouse is one of a number of adaptive reuse projects of the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Division. Other initiatives include the historic Wychwood Car Barns and the Don Valley Brickworks. The John Street Roundhouse and its associated heritage structures were designated as a National Historic Site in 1990 and under the Ontario Heritage Act by City Council in 1996.

“Revitalization and meaningful animation of our historic and architectural treasures ensure Toronto is recognized as one of the world’s cultural centres and a dynamic, livable city,†said Rita Davies, Executive Director of Toronto Culture. Creative uses for historic structures is also called for in the recently released, Imagine a Toronto… Strategies for a Creative City, an international comparative study that highlights opportunities for enhancing the arts and creative industries in Toronto.

The John Street Roundhouse complex was constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1929-1931 to service steam passenger locomotives using the nearby Toronto Union Station. The John Street Roundhouse was a state-of-the-art structure and the most advanced in Canada as it incorporated new direct-steaming technology. For almost two decades following its construction, the John Street Roundhouse was one of the most important and busiest roundhouse complexes servicing steam passenger locomotives in the national rail system.

Media contact:

Rita Davies
Executive Director
Toronto Culture
416-397-5253

AoD
 
While I think it is amazing they are fixing up and utilizing the place, I have to wonder about a rail museum. Will it be a that much of a draw?

Same with the multicultural museum at hummingbird. We live it daily in the GTA. HOw many tourists will make that a must see?
 
^ I don't think we need to worry about tourists visiting the museum. I think you're underestimating the huge amount of rail enthusiasts living in Ontario alone, without mentioning the rest of Canada and the US. International tourists will be gravy.

I'm all for intensification of pedestrian traffic on Bremner. At time when there are no games at the ACC and SkyDome, the area around the CN Tower is dead dead dead.

I hope this is the first step towards a Roundhouse Park which includes the CN Tower grounds.
 
Who doesn't love a choo-choo train??? If the museum is interesting and presented well, and if they can cull quality exhibits and display them within an interesting environment that combines heritage and technology then I think it could be a nice complement to the CN Tower.
 
The Roadhouse and its surroundings are a bit of disgrace: the area looks unkept and the Roadhouse building itself looks to be in worse and worse shape every year.

They have been talking about utilizing this building for about 15 years and while it looks like something is finally going to be done (although who knows when), its amazing it has taken this long.
 
I agree with alkay, the site has been under-used for far too long. I think a museum there is a great idea, because you already have to CNTower SkyDome traffic right nearby, presumably just aching to be parted from their dollars.

I'd love to see another feature thrown in, like a roller coaster, that links the CN Tower, the dome and the rail museum in a single unforgettable experience!
 
When i was hanging out at Steamwistle a couple weeks ago i was thinking the exact same thing. What should be done.

A rail museum sounds nice but I think with this being between 2 of the biggest sporting venues in the city, they should turn it into a restaurant, bar venue. Imagine the whole center area would be a large outdoor patio with different restaurants and bars around the outside. It would be packed before and after games. In the winter you could have some sort of covering in the center. Perhaps some sort of glass retractable canopy.
 
I'd love to see another feature thrown in, like a roller coaster, that links the CN Tower, the dome and the rail museum in a single unforgettable experience!
Click to expand...

I think that a heritage streetcar line on Bremner would be more appropriate. When not on charter, TTC's heritage streetcars could be placed on regular service on this line, using the roundhouse as a streetcar barn.
 
As someone who was a train enthusiast in his youth, I'm very excited by this proposal. I hope, however, that Council will not consider the Roundhouse in isolation, but rather will consider developing a plan for the entire strip from Lower Simcoe to Rees along Bremner, which would be integrated with the Waterfront Plan.

For example, I think Council should look at tying the Roundhouse museum with the CN Tower - historically, they are connected through the influence of the railways on the history of Canada, Ontario, and Toronto. Ideally, the new museum would be tied in with a plan to improve the lands surrounding the Rogers Centre, the CN Tower, Metro Convention South, and the Roundhouse park. This could be our own version of Millenium Park.

Council has an opportunity to create a truly special recreational and civic space in an area that is intensifying and booming. Give it a focal point!
 
This has been in the books for ages so it's great to see even the slightest bit of movement on it. There are tourists literally crawling all over that place so I can't see it being an Olympic Torch type fiasco.

It would be a shame if it did turn into just another sports bar ... Steam Whistle is already there anyway.
 
I remembering reading years ago something about wanting to connect the roundhouse up to the rail corridor with a spur line so that engines and other rail cars could be rolled in and out easily, but that those loads were not factored into the design of the underground portion of the convention centre.

Does anyone know if that is true, and if it is, how they are planning to get rail cars into the roundhouse?

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Flatbed trucks carry a steam engine? Maybe a plastic replica.

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I think they were planning on reassembling a replica engine called "The Toronto". Apparently there are several cars and other artifacts inside there already:

www.roundhouse.bravepages...nvlist.htm

It should be a nice little slice of Toronto's history. A park there would be excellent, and if they can convert part of the brewery into a decent brewpub it would be well served by tourists and sports fans. Excellent name for the beer btw- but too bad it tastes so bland.
 
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