Toronto’s renowned St. Lawrence neighbourhood is expecting the return of its North Market building this spring. In the past, the site had been home to five other buildings, the last of which was underused and subsequently demolished in 2016.Supplied/City of Toronto
The iconic St. Lawrence Market district – Toronto’s first planned neighbourhood that was home to the city’s first public well and first seat of government – is welcoming an impressive new building this spring that is set to become a beacon of culture, arts and civic engagement.
The return of St. Lawrence’s North Market building means a revival of the site’s original historic intent as a community space that’s buzzing with activity seven days a week. Over the past two centuries, the location – which is part of the original 10 blocks of the former town of York – had been home to five buildings. Its latest structure, erected in 1968, housed a Saturday farmer’s market and Sunday antique market before it was demolished in 2016. The rest of the week, it sat derelict.
Building on a historic legacy
When reimagining St. Lawrence’s new North Market, Scott Barrett, the City of Toronto’s director of property management and key assets, says the city wanted to keep the space “active and alive.”
“When the old North Market building did not have a function, it was a dead space,” he says. “This new mixed-use building will have a presence in the neighbourhood.”
Since 1820, the design of St. Lawrence’s North Market has substantially evolved. At one point, the building at 92 Front St. E. was so grand that its barrel-vault ceiling covered Front Street. “It was the heartbeat of civic life for more than 200 years and the only property in the city that has been used for a single function – food retailing – since its inception,” says Graeme Stewart, principal at ERA Architects Inc., a firm specializing in heritage restoration.
“It truly was a heroic Victorian structure. People came from across the province with their goods. Farmers in the early 1900s even drove their wagons right inside the 10 entrances on the east and west sides.”
Multifunctional makeover
The design of St. Lawrence’s new North Market honours the site’s heritage while paving the way toward the future. Located at 92 Front St. E., it will face St. Lawrence’s South Market to the south and St. Lawrence Hall to the northSupplied/City of Toronto
The big, bold, modern design of the new four-storey building echoes the cultural heritage of the past while looking toward the future. Topped with a vegetated green roof, it makes both physical and visual connections to the pair of heritage buildings – St. Lawrence Hall to the north and the South Market to the south – that comprise the overall St. Lawrence Market Complex. The pair of steel-barrel-vaulted arches in the new North Market were inspired by archival images of a past North Market. The location’s history is also revealed through interpretive building elements, including metal lines on the floor to indicate the foundation locations of all the old buildings.
“It’s unabashedly modern, but still very much of the place,” Mr. Stewart says of the stunning, five-storey atrium.
Part of the city’s strategic plan is to create a market district that showcases the area’s history and offers space for merchants, food, arts and culture, according to Daniel Picheca, manager of the City of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market Complex. “There are opportunities to partner with various cultural organizations and produce events within the space to drive traffic to the neighbourhood and create unique experiences like concerts and art exhibitions,” he says.
Since the former North Market building was underutilized, talks to replace it started more than 25 years ago. In 2010, the City of Toronto announced the winning design for a reimagined, purpose-built North Market, awarding the contract to Toronto’s Adamson Associates Architects and U.K. firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
However, the three-phase North Market redevelopment faced many hurdles. Following the design and construction of the temporary North Market building at 125 The Esplanade, an archeological dig on the Front Street site exposed the foundations of three previous market buildings and uncovered a cellar used by butchers to store meat and other perishables. This delayed construction for a few years before the original construction firm went bankrupt and a new pair of firms – Buttcon and the Atlas Corporation – was awarded the tender.
The courts are back in session
In a nod to the history of the location, which previously housed Toronto’s courts, the North Market building will feature administrative offices and courtrooms for offences under Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act.Supplied/City of Toronto
In early urban planning, cities centred around five public buildings: a courthouse, church, jail, market and town hall.
Between the 1830s and 1899, the North Market building housed Toronto’s courts. In another nod to the site’s heritage, the new North Market structure will see the return of administrative offices and courtrooms for issues under Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act.
The return of the courts brings what Mr. Barrett calls a “steady state” to the North Market, meaning there will be a constant flow of staff and visitors in the building.
Boost in tourism traffic
The new North Market will also drive more traffic to the already-bustling St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.
“From an economic standpoint, it creates a win-win for the neighbourhood,” he says. “We also had lots of feedback that there is not enough convenient parking in the area, so having 250 new spaces underground connected to the market and event space is another huge added value.”
The redeveloped North Market includes space for a café on the main floor, as well as a seniors’ centre on the second floor, which locals can use as a meeting space. The city is also looking to develop flexible event space on the second floor, with there being a bridge between the North Market building and St. Lawrence Hall to the north. In the spring, Doors Open Toronto is partnering with the North Market to offer an architectural tour aligned with the official opening ceremonies, though a date has yet to be announced.
“The Old Town is probably the most photographed part of the city,” Mr. Stewart says.
“This grand new building is the new core of this district … something shiny and new, but also deeply historic, that anchors people’s experience and offers a starting point to explore the rest of the neighbourhood.”