This church is a fantastic neighbourhood community centre serving the surrounding area…read more
From what I see the parish hall building is still functioning as an actual church, although I've only been there for Long Winter events a few times, and seen other events advertised in this space.
The church was almost completely destroyed in June 2024, and is still in ruins although it now is a construction site with a fence around it. One of the events I was at just before the fire involved both the church and the hall which was a spellbinding venue to go into, and to especially appreciate the music within that space with that expansive vaulted ceiling it's quite unbelievable, indescribable and I'm glad as anything to say I was there to appreciate the space before it burned, along with all the irreplaceable art, including group of seven murals.
Regardless, the big parish hall building which has been gutted of any furniture to allow a large open interior, and as well as catwalk going around in a horseshoe shape (would be awesome for a concert up there) still remains intact and that's what I'm reviewing today.
It's a perfect space for Long Winter, with its gorgeous performance space replete with arched dome above the stage used for projection art from across the room in the catwalk where someone was manning the projector.
Downstairs is a similar sized room, albeit with lower ceiling which was a dance floor for notabbq edm folks with rotating open decks one night, and a group of "musicians" scattered around on mats who picked up all kinds of musical instruments and were making sounds and discord and just having fun for the most part, along with a few upright pianos splashed here and there to add to the cacophony of sounds. Around the outside of the room is another lower style catwalk where people can hang out and sit, or congregate, or do their arts whatever moves you.
A really fantastic space that makes you wonder how long before Toronto greed transforms it into another soulless condo development. Hopefully not in my lifetime!