Artscape acquired this school property, built in 1914 and located at 180 Shaw Street, in 2010 thanks to a generous lead gift from the Michael Young Family Foundation. This magnificent structure will spring back to life as Artscape Youngplace in the Fall of 2013 after a multi-million dollar overhaul.
At 75,000 square feet, Artscape Youngplace will be the largest cultural institution in the West Queen West neighbourhood, and will contain five streams of activity:
Studios for artists, craftspeople and designers
Learning Labs
Showcase/gallery spaces
Social spaces for the community
Creation Labs
The building will contain a mix of private, shared and public spaces, and many tenants will offer a range of formal and informal programs and services to the local community.
So far, the project has mobilized the creative community, local residents, public and private foundations, philanthropists and corporations determined to address the issues that led to the site’s demise and get growth right in Toronto. Their engagement and financial contributions have resulted in a "triple-win solution" to development: a win for the creative community, a win for city-builders and a win for past, present and future community members.
We invite you to browse the pages in this section for more information about Artscape Youngplace, and to see photos of this great project in progress.
Take a tour of the old Shaw Street School as it looked prior to renovations...
