Home Regions of OntarioGreater Toronto Area Region
Distillery District
The Gooderham and Worts Distillery Ditrict
The Gooderham and Worts Distillery was founded in 1832 by James Worts and his brother-in-law William Gooderham and by the late 1860s was one of the largest distilleries in the world. In 1839 a large limestone distillery was added.
Eventually in 1928 the company was bought by Hiram Walker Co., another large Canadian distiller from Windsor, Ontario.
After being purchased by another company in 1986 the buildings were declared obsolete and by the 1980's many had been demolished and the remaining buildings sat empty and in disrepair.
In 1988 the area was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. In 2002 the entire area was purchased and over twenty buildings were converted into artists' studios and art galleries. The following year The Distillery District was opened.
Today shops, cafe's, boutiques and eateries are located in Victorian era buildings, along cobblestone walkways and the Distillery District has been transformed into one of Toronto's most popular tourist destinations.
