Easton’s Group of Hotels, a renowned name in Canada’s hospitality industry with a comprehensive portfolio spanning premium, branded and upscale hotel properties across Canada, announces it will build Canada’s only Curio by Hilton, the first hotel within 1km of Toronto’s historic Distillery District. Located at 60 Mill St, the project will be perched at the entrance of the historic community and mark the last remaining heritage building to be re-purposed in the district.
The Distillery District is one of the most striking areas of Toronto, filled with beautiful, brick heritage buildings, open spaces, works of art, and great food and shopping.
Rising 31 storeys, the full-service hotel will preserve the heritage building’s exteriors as the base three floors. It will span 288,000 sq. ft. gross floor area and feature 392 guest rooms, along with a rooftop bar and restaurant with spectacular views. Led by a talented team including IBI Architects, ERA Heritage Architects, and Studio Munge, the project will pay homage to the building’s rich history as a rack house built in 1890.
This 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.”
Heritage and Architecture Details
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. In fact, 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 that it is sufficiently supported once they are removed.
Easton’s Group of Hotels will convert these six storeys into only 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.
Key Features and Amenities
* Ballrooms and conference spaces within the existing heritage building volume
* World-class spa and gym
* Rooftop bar, restaurant, and outdoor patio
* Main floor lobby, lounge, and restaurant
* Five underground levels, including four reserved for parking
* Innovative loading dock to reduce community disruption and traffic – turning table for trucks inside the building so they may drive in, turn 180 degrees, unload, and drive out without needing to reverse
With construction anticipated to begin mid-2022, Easton’s Group of Hotels will continue to release project updates, including further details on exciting amenities and features.
