cityscape A New Arts Facility Planned for Former Guvernment Nightclub Site

A "live-work-play-learn-create" community is coming to Jarvis and Queens Quay.

This is part of the developer’s plan for a mixed-use condo project at the site of the former Guvernment nightclub in Toronto’s waterfront district.



By the fall of 2019, a 1,320,000 square foot “live-work-play-learn-create” community, which will combine residential, office, retail and academic space, will be created at Jarvis and Queens Quay. A tree-lined public park connected to Sugar Beach will be developed for everyone to use. There will also be a retail area full of shops and restaurants for those looking to do some shopping.

“Daniels Waterfront – City of the Arts is a neighbourhood in which the arts play a central role as a social, cultural and economic driver,” said Tom Dutton, senior vice-president of the Daniels Corporation.

“It has been proven that art has a positive effect on our lives, well-being and even economic development, which is why we include arts components in every single community we build,” he added.

Daniels Corporation is contributing three million dollars for the new art development in an effort to revitalize the East Bayfront area. Acclaimed artists from around the world will compete to have their work installed in public places around the waterfront area. The City of Toronto’s Public Art Committee approved the public art plan and is subject to city council’s final approval.

Artscape will be opening up what they call a launchpad—a 30,000 square foot space equipped with technology for the creative entrepreneurial types looking to complete professional art and design projects.

“Launchpad has grown out of nearly a decade of collaboration and research with colleges, universities and trade organizations focusing on how we can help individuals and small businesses in the art and design communities to thrive,” Tim Jones said, CEO of Artscape.

OCAD and George Brown will also be opening up campuses on the new development. The project, which is already in the excavating phase, comes with a price tag of $700 million.

Phase one of the project will include a tower on the south side of the land and phase two will include a 48-storey tower on the north side of the land with 900 condo suites.