Easton's Group of Hotels has announced it will build the first hotel within one kilometre of Toronto's historic Distillery District. The property will also be the first Curio by Hilton hotel in Canada.
Located at 60 Mill Street, near the entrance to the historic community, the project also marks the last remaining heritage building to be re-purposed in the district.
Rising 31 storeys, the full-service hotel will preserve the heritage building's exteriors as the base three floors. It will feature 392 guest rooms along with amenities including a rooftop bar and restaurant.
Built in 1890, the building previously 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. The entire volume of the existing heritage building will be publicly accessible to highlight the past use of the building to all visitors.
"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 The Gupta Group.
"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 has 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.
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 it is sufficiently supported once they are removed.
Easton's Group of Hotels will convert these six storeys into 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.
Easton's says the property will feature ballrooms and conference spaces within the existing heritage building, a spa and gym, rooftop bar, restaurant and outdoor patio, and a main floor lobby, lounge and restaurant.
Construction is anticipated to begin mid-2022.
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