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| - An oasis in the middle of an urban jungle.
While the hearts of many jaded Torontonians may not be thawed by the warmth and greenery present in this space, Evergreen is a beautiful site that offers a lot of interesting activities, markets and workshops, despite being difficult to get to. It's surrounded by greenery in every direction and dealing with a number of climate-related problems that are apparently being addressed by the staff as of this writing.
I came here for The Walrus magazine's 15th anniversary party, and was initially struck by how beautiful the site is. I ended up walking from the Castle Frank TTC station over to the site (protip: don't do this) and was pleasantly surprised by how much of the original architecture was still present. Make no mistake - this is a historic site through and through, with all the drawbacks that entails.
While the inside has been modernized (there's a nice atrium area for parties, modern washroom facilities and the like), the site's roots as a historic property that had no insulation come back to bite it repeatedly. I attended this event on a blazing-hot summer day and found myself nearly freezing inside - it's a cavernous interior that doesn't seem to trap heat and is predisposed to lower temperatures. Not so bad in hotter weather, but there's no way you could pay me to come in here during winter.
To their credit, the management seems to have realized this and plan to augment the interior with some upgrades, if the CEO's speech during the party was any indication.
The event itself (held as part of a two-day conference with various talks centered around subjects covered by the magazine) had a number of luminaries, including famed author Margaret Atwood, talking about their plans for the future. While this wasn't really my crowd (you try sitting amid 300 people as they clap mindlessly for every other sentence like a bunch of Lemmings), there were some good ideas pushed forward, including the need to help Aboriginal children and teens who live on reserves, which collectively face some of the highest poverty and suicide rates in the country.
Interestingly, this party also had a number of food items served, including sliders, meatballs and Asian-inspired appetizers, but I'm unsure if it was from an in-house staff or if it was catered, so I didn't factor it into my review. I do know that the cake they served (which was made out of cupcakes with a heavy frosting layer made to resemble a full cake) was way too sweet for me.
I also found the washrooms (supposedly inspired by designs in countries like Iceland) to be initially confusing, with the faucet, dryer and soap dispensers all in the same sink.
While parking is limited in the space, there are shuttles that go to and from Broadview Station. I didn't have the chance to explore some of the other buildings, but I'm aware that there is a farmers' market that's worth checking out.
In the end, Evergreen is a fantastic site with a few small issues that I have no doubt will be worked out in the coming months. A fantastic place to visit for events or just to admire the greenery.
Well worth a look.
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