Evergreen Brick Works

A Former Brick Quarry And Factory In The Don Valley, Operating 1889 1984, Whose Quarry Face Exposes About 135,000 Years Of Geological Record; Now A Public Environmental Centre And A Weekly Farmers' Market · Toronto, Ontario

The bricks that built much of old Toronto came out of this hole in the Don Valley. The Don Valley Brick Works operated from 1889 to 1984, and when it closed the site was left to fall apart - a set of enormous industrial sheds and a flooded quarry, taken over by graffiti artists and urban explorers for two decades. It reopened in 2010 as an environmental centre run by the charity Evergreen, and the restoration deliberately left the buildings looking used: rusted kilns, exposed steel, and a good deal of the graffiti kept in place. THE QUARRY IS THE OTHER HALF. Its exposed north face is a nationally significant geological site - ABOUT 135,000 YEARS OF SEDIMENT, including deposits from a period when Toronto was warmer than it is now - and the quarry floor has been rewilded into ponds and meadow with a trail around it. There is a large farmers' market on Saturdays and it is genuinely good.

550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

THE SITE AND THE TRAILS ARE OPEN DAILY AND ARE FREE - there is no admission to the grounds, the quarry trails or the buildings' public areas. THE SATURDAY FARMERS' MARKET IS THE MAIN EVENT, running year-round on Saturday mornings into the early afternoon, indoors in winter and spilling outside in summer; a smaller market has run on other days seasonally. INDIVIDUAL SHOPS, THE GARDEN CENTRE AND THE RESTAURANTS KEEP THEIR OWN HOURS and most are closed by early evening. PARKING IS PAID AND LIMITED and fills completely on Saturday mornings - A FREE SHUTTLE BUS HAS RUN FROM BROADVIEW STATION and is much the better option. The site is in the Don Valley with steep access; it connects to the Lower Don and Beltline trail networks for anyone arriving on foot or by bicycle.

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