Stage Door News

Toronto: Halting the demolition of the Dominion Foundry complex becomes more urgent

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

The demolition, by the province, of the Dominion Foundry complex (153 to 185 Eastern Avenue) in Toronto’s West Don Lands, endangers efforts by the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists  (IRCPA) and Corktown Residents and Business Association (CRBA) to create a hub for Canada’s musicians and for the area’s 25,000 residents in the Corktown communities. Details are at ircpa.net.  

Ann Summers Dossena, IRCPA founder, longtime Corktown resident and a CRBA board member, commented, “Losing the buildings is only half the story.  The benefits of the IRCPA/CRBA Foundry Project with new and old buildings include a working and performance centre for musicians, a cultural centre, affordable housing for musicians, daycare, and a community hub for the 25,000 people and businesses in historic Corktown. All this will be lost.

“The steering committee wants to finish the already started Feasibility Study to show that our project can be self-sustaining and of great impact for artists, the city, the province and the whole country.”

A downloadable Background Study by urban planner Josh Reiniger describes the concept of reusing the heritage building as a Creative Incubator Centre for musicians.  The site includes two performance venues. The upper floors would be reserved for musicians with rooms for practice, rehearsal, mentoring and meeting rooms, tenants such as the IRCPA and other music organizations, and a recording and multimedia studio.  

As a Toronto violinist wrote to Premier Doug Ford, “Toronto needs areas for musicians to meet, work, co-create and perform. New work and new art depend on spaces such as the one envisioned here, to foster collaboration and creativity. The richness of our culture depends on decisions such as this one, to be made with vision for the future."

Tax receptacle donations to save the feasibility study may be made at ircpa.net (click on Save the Foundry - Charitable No. 100220417). 

 

More info on the IRCPA is available at the following:

Website: ircpa.net

The Foundry: Canada’s Place for Music + Corktown Communities Hub ircpa.net/the-foundry

Facebook: www.facebook.com

Twitter: @IRCPA

Instagram: www.instagram.com

Save the Foundry petition: www.suzemorrison.ca/save_the_foundry.