Car Modern 2011

The excitement of checking out the abandoned Don Valley Brickworks. The holes in the ceilings produced such great sunbeams when the conditions were right. Erin's breath comes out frosty in the cool of winter, highlighted in the bright light cutting through the dark building.

The former Don Valley Brickworks, now christened the Evergreen Brickworks, has finally opened (September 5, 2010) to the public while much of their site remains under construction. The property seems to have everything under the sun including office space for lease and I am surprised they haven't squeezed a condo development into the mix. They have saved part of the brick making equipment and kilns and a lot of the graffiti that adorned any available, reachable space.

The old, abandoned factory is almost gone and urban explorers will have to find a new place to haunt because they come out of the brick work when you start to take pictures. I was told it was illegal to take pictures there now without a permit although I found no mention of this on their website.
The site is owned by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Region Conservation Area and they not only purchased the site, they paid millions of dollars to upgrade the old quarry. Give us your money but don't try to take a picture is an unfortunate message that they want you to have. Oh well, these may well be the last pictures that you see of the brickworks (following photo by fresh Joe).

The abandoned Don Valley Brickworks, long a destination of choice for those that like to explore old buildings, continues along on it's rebirth as a green site and park known as Evergreen Brick Works. The large roof of the main kiln building is being replaced and a fence and security keep people away from the construction site.



I was glad to see that they will keep the kiln building in it's dilapidated splendor complete with graffiti but it will not replace the fun of going in to the site and taking photos when it was just a forgotten relic of an older time.

I visited the wastelands that were the Don Valley Brickworks a few times over the years. The longtime maker of bricks shut down and the site gradually fell into ruin which made for exciting visits. I can see why quite a few people make it a hobby to explore abandoned places - just remember to be safe.

Climbing in through the fences and openings in the buildings you walked through a massive complex of buildings full of steel stairs, colourful graffiti and old kilns. The large cavernous buildings were full of remnants of the past where sunbeams cut through holes in the ceilings and highlighted small sections of the interior. You could even find rooms full of bricks scattered on the floors.






The Brickworks lasted a long time starting in 1889 and finally closing in 1984. Then in 2002 they decided to try to make something of the historic site and have been fixing it up. It is now called the Evergreen Brick Works and they will celebrate their grand opening in September 2010.