Wychwood Barns, Community park in Toronto, Canada
Wychwood Barns is a former streetcar maintenance complex of five brick buildings on 4.3 acres in Toronto's Bracondale Hill area, converted into a community centre and park. Architect Joe Lobko kept most exterior elements, adding floor-to-ceiling glass to Barn 2's east and west walls; Barn 5 lost its roof and south wall, leaving a steel arcade.
The Toronto Civic Railways built the St. Clair Carhouse here in 1913 to serve newly annexed neighbourhoods; a second barn followed in 1916, and the Toronto Transportation Commission added three more in 1921. Streetcars reached the site via tracks on Wychwood Avenue. The carhouse closed in 1978 and was used for storage until the 1990s. The city took ownership in 1996 for $1 and leased it to Artscape, which raised $19 million and reopened it on November 20, 2008.
The space brings together artists, environmentalists, and people interested in urban gardening through regular exhibitions and community activities. Visitors naturally gather here to exchange ideas and support the neighborhood's green initiatives.
The five brick barns sit on 4.3 acres at 601 Christie Street, entered from Wychwood Avenue or St. Clair Avenue West. Barn 2 is the covered two-storey street, 60 metres long and 10 metres wide, linking the buildings. Barn 5 has no roof or south wall, so it is open to the weather and used for the Global Roots Garden from spring to late fall.
A short section of streetcar tracks survives along Wychwood Avenue between St Clair Avenue West and Helena Avenue, though it no longer connects to the St Clair line or the former car barns. Barn 5 was stripped of its roof and south wall, leaving only the steel arcade frame open to the weather.
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