The Parkdale Arts & Cultural Centre was originally built as a police station in 1931 and Gallery 1313 occupies what were once 12 holding cells for prisoners. The art deco building has since been transformed into a community hub, home to community offices, the Parkdale Village BIA, Gallery 1313 (which hosts about 70 exhibitions each year featuring artists from local to international), nine live/work studios and more.
Gallery 1313 is where the 12 holding cells were.
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| The original floor plan |
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| The original floorplan of the gallery |
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| The same room today |
Cute photo opp!
All but the building’s façade is slated for demolition in 2029–30. The current tenants will relocate next door to the Dollarama site, purchased by the City of Toronto. That property will become a 16-storey affordable housing development, with three floors dedicated to community organizations, including Gallery 1313.
Visitors attending Doors Open Toronto enter through the iron gates at the west end of the building, once used to bring horses into the stable area at the rear. Access to the rest of the building is restricted, as artists currently live and work in the studio spaces.
For more than 12 years, the building served as emergency housing operated by the City of Toronto. After sitting vacant for five years as a Metro-owned property, it reopened in 1997 as the Parkdale Arts & Cultural Centre.
Visitors attending Doors Open Toronto enter through the iron gates at the west end of the building, once used to bring horses into the stable area at the rear. Access to the rest of the building is restricted, as artists currently live and work in the studio spaces.
For more than 12 years, the building served as emergency housing operated by the City of Toronto. After sitting vacant for five years as a Metro-owned property, it reopened in 1997 as the Parkdale Arts & Cultural Centre.
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