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Wychwood TTC Car Barns
Built: 1913, Closed: 1997, Demolished: 2007
For almost 70 years, these 5 skylit buildings provided both maintenance and storage for Toronto's streetcars. Built between 1913 and 1921, they employed hundreds of workers. The site was decommissioned in 1985 and sat vacant, slowly decaying until an adaptive reuse plan began in 2004.
The Wychwood Barns site is an example of a succesful urban redevelopment project. In a few short years, a derelict brownfield site has been repurposed as an arts and culture centre which opened in 2008. This reuse included artist live/work spaces as well as a local community food centre.
The site isn't without its share of controversy though it's hard to gauge its degree. There were 3 competing interests:
- Nearby residents wanted the site to revert entirely to a park
- The city preferred something that would generate income
- Preservationists wanted to retain an historically important structure
The official website for the new facility can be found here:
Artscape Wychwood Barns
This location represents an important milestone for me. It's the place that ignited my interest in exploring and photographing these abandoned, decaying places. Had I not visited the Wychwood TTC Barns, my subsequent explorations into abandoned institutions, industrial mining landscapes and power stations probably never would have occurred.
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Maintenance Bays
Details
Exteriors
Odds & Ends
The 'B-Roll' / Maintenance Bays
Photos in the “B-Roll” group are (in my opinion) lower-quality images, included for completeness or because they were posted when this site was in its infancy.
The 'B-Roll' / Everything Else
Photos in the “B-Roll” group are (in my opinion) lower-quality images, included for completeness or because they were posted when this site was in its infancy.
