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DonateWhich space is your favourite?
Published on February 16, 2023
Think of your favourite space at the Brick Works. Which space comes to mind and how does it make you feel? Perhaps you feel connected to your local community at the Farmers Market or experience a sense of playfulness in the Children’s Garden.
Great public spaces not only offer people a place to relax and enjoy themselves but also contribute to improved livability for a city. Evergreen Brick Works is a respite and point of connection for people living in Toronto. All who visit have their own unique experiences. Discover some favourite spaces onsite and what they mean to us.
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For years, the Children’s Garden at Evergreen Brick Works has brought joy and laughter to visitors from around the world. This award-winning space was designed to showcase the many benefits of place-based outdoor play and learning. It’s the home of many of our children’s programming including Weekend Nature Play, Adventure Camp and Winter Camp.
Here, children of all ages play with loose parts, sing around campfires, and make crafts from natural materials. Whether it’s playing in the snow in winter, building a fort out of sticks in summer or making art using leaves in fall, this space is one of the best places on site to experience the changing seasons.
The Children’s Garden is my favourite space as you can see happy kids playing around freely and creating their own art.
– Bo Zhang, Officer, Facility Operations & Logistics at Evergreen
Photo by: Nathan Zhu
The Pavilions are home to the outdoor Saturday Farmers Market, the Sunday Artisan & Vintage Market and popular events at the Brick Works like Day of the Dead and Summer Wednesdays. They are centrally located and offer a covered outdoor space so that events and markets can still take place even if it rains. This beloved space provides a gateway to the Frances and Tim Price Terrace and presents a stunning view of the Don River Valley Park.
“I love the Pavilions as a place to gather and shop vintage!”
– Cheryl Gudz, Senior Bilingual Communications Content Specialist at Evergreen
“One of my favourite spaces at the Brick Works is the North Pavilions because when standing in that space, you allow yourself to experience what I call the 360u00b0 Evergreen Brick Works view. This space showcases what the Brick Works is all about – nature, community and art. You have the beautiful quarry just north of you, you have nature art installations all around you, and when you look up to the roof, you are reminded that this place once was an active brick factory. I love it.”
– Fatima Ali, Program Coordinator, Children’s Programming at Evergreen
Photo by: Al Yoshiki
The TD Future Cities Centre is the largest historic building onsite and is one of Toronto’s top venues for events, markets, weddings, conferences, and more. During construction, great effort was made to preserve this historic kiln building and to capture a period in time when the brick factory was a blank canvas for ravers and graffiti artists. Green techniques and low-carbon design were incorporated into the construction process, including a high efficiency, renewable and geo-exchange system to heat and cool other buildings on site.
“The Brick Works is my favorite space to escape from the city and into nature but in the freezing cold of winter I like to head inside on a Saturday morning. I can chat with the friendly vendors at Evergreen Farmers Market, grab a few bites and head to the food court between the kilns. It is a quiet space surrounding you in the history of the former brick factory.”
– Al Yoshiki, Evergreen Volunteer
“The TD Future Cities Centre is my favourite space. We love having the chance to connect with our customers on a one-on-one basis. We love the Brick Works space because it feels like we get to be in a piece of Toronto history at every market.”
– 80 x Wine Company, Farmers Market Vendor
Learn more here.
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During the winter months, Koerner Gardens is transformed into one of the most beautiful skating rinks in Toronto. During Free Public Skating and Skating Lessons, people skate through snow covered gardens under the exposed beams of the old brick factory. It’s a skating experience like no other. We have plans to make this space more accessible year-round. Stay tuned!
“On sunny days when the site is bustling with people and the birds are out, Koerner Gardens offers a piece of serenity that still feels likes you’re out in nature without all the crowds.”
– Janina de Guzman, Program Officer at Evergreen
The Evergreen Garden Market blends a classic general store, a contemporary gift shop, and sustainable garden market into one place. During spring/summer the garden centre is fully stocked with Toronto’s widest selection of Ontario native flowers, plants and trees for gardens of all sizes. The Market also carries a variety of products from local vendors such as home du00e9cor, books, clothing, greeting cards, reusable utensils and more!
“I may be a bit biased but my favourite space at the Brick Works is the Evergreen Garden Market. I love to explore the local products from our community.”
–Tyler Talbot, Retail Store Manager at Evergreen
Photo by: Al Yoshiki
The Don River Valley Park is the backyard of Evergreen Brick Works. The 200-hectare park is the perfect place to enjoy a walk, ride your bike, bird watch, go for a picnic and more. This value greenspace offers an escape to nature for people living in Toronto. It is also home to a diversity of flora and fauna including deer, racoons, muskrats, herons, fox, and butterflies.
“The Governor’s Bridge Lookout undoubtedly ranks the topmost spot, especially during the fall season. The fall foliage surrounding the Brick Works and Don Valley is absolutely exhilarating and a visual treat to the eyes. We don’t need to drive outside Toronto to see the sunning fall colours. During summers, I love the boardwalks along the pond. The calm water creates a fabulous reflection of the entre park. If you’re lucky, you can get to see the aquatic life with the turtles and fishes swimming around the pond.”
–Kanchan Kumar, Evergreen Brick Works visitor
“My favourite spot at the Brick Works is the pond and floating island on the west side of the quarry. Even on busy weekends when things are bustling, it always seems magically peaceful and a perfect place to sit and reflect. There are also Black Crowned Night Herons that frequently nest there!”
– Joanne Bowers, Program Officer at Evergreen
“My favourite spot at the Brick Works would have to be the trails along the beltline, it’s a quiet place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city and the perfect escape for a lunch break or a weekend trek. These trails uniquely showcase a landscape that makes you appreciate getting to live in a place where you get to earn your seasons.”
– Kendall Schwertfeger, Advancement Coordinator at Evergreen
Join us for a tour of the Brick Works! Tours begin at the Welcome Desk and take place every Saturday from 11am – 12pm & 2pm u2013 3pm.
