Interesting Case Goods Warehouse Facts:
 
 
• The Case Goods Warehouse was used to store the cases of whiskey before transport. • In the first year the building was open (1923), 1/3 of Canada’s total excise taxes went through the Case Goods Warehouse. • Theoretically, during prohibition, the whiskey was being shipped to the Caribbean. However, the ships would go out and return the same day (clearly not enough time to get the Caribbean and back). They were being sent to New York. • The elevator was born with the building in 1923. This is the original elevator. • The conveyor (in the main lobby area) extended all the way to the third floor. It was used for cases of whiskey that would come through a shoot on the third floor and arrive on a conveyor on the first. As the story goes, it was also used for fun when the workers would ride down it on flattened card board boxes “luge style”. The Historic Distillery District and The Case Goods Warehouse: • Founded in 1832, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery is a national heritage site comprised of 44 buildings that represent the best-preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America. • More than a decade after its demise as a distillery, Cityscape Development purchased the Gooderham & Worts site in late 2001. • Following a $3 million renovation, Artscape moved 60 new tenants into the Case Goods Warehouse and the Cannery Building in March 2003. The tenant mix includes artist and designer/maker retail studios, non-profit theatre, dance, music, and arts-in-education organizations and artist work studios. A few words about Artscape: • Artscape managers 5 five buildings around Toronto and offers space to over 300 artist of all disciplines (painters, sculptors, dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, actors, directors, producers, potters, jewellers, designers, calligraphers, woodworkers, weavers, filmmakers, photographers, writers and poets). Artscape develops buildings that provide homes for artist studios, performing arts and service organizations, community groups, and rehearsal and performance spaces. • Artscape has a sixth building under construction (to be completed in September 2008) called the Green Arts Barns at St. Clair and Bathurst. • Artscape is a not-for-profit enterprise engaged in culture-led regeneration. Its work includes developing and managing creative buildings, stewarding creative neighbourhoods, and designing strategies and tools to advance creative cities. Artscape has played a catalytic role in the revitalization of some of Toronto’s most important creative communities including: The Distillery Historic District, Queen Street West, Liberty Village and Toronto Island.