Toronto’s newest climbing gym is set to open sometime in late 2015 at 677 Bloor Street West, the home of the once-popular Metro Theatre.

The new Bloor Street climbing gym will be called Basecamp and climbers can expect a modern Walltopia-designed wall. With vertical to overhanging walls aplenty, Basecamp will surely be popular as its location is prime real estate.

Metro Theatre opened for business in 1939 after being built by architects Kaplan and Sprachman who engineered a number of Art Deco theatres throughout Toronto. In the mid-70s, the Metro operators sought a new audience with their new film selection: adult films.

The Metro’s History

One room had 286 seats while the other had 320. It’s important to note that there was also a snack bar. Around 2000, the theatre started to offer a space for performances and kung-fu films.


In 2013, the Metro closed and two years later we await the opening of the next stage of the theatres’ life, Basecamp.

With nearly 15-metre-high ceilings and plenty of floor space, not to mention the close subway station, Basecamp is bound to be a heart-of-the-Annex for Toronto climbers.

The announcement of Basecamp Climbing comes in tandem with a Kickstarter campaign (offering several donation incentives including discounted memberships, lessons and more listed below) detrimental in making the gym a reality given the scope of the renovations necessary. The Kickstarter page also includes an introductory video to the gym outlining the entire scope of the project.

The only rock climbing gym on the TTC subway line, located steps from Christie Station, Basecamp will feature walls reaching nearly 40 feet in height, making it the tallest rock climbing gym in the city. The gym will also feature climbing routes of various levels to accommodate new and advanced climbers.

Basecamp is the brainchild of owner Matthew Languay who is an avid rock-climber and has been involved in the construction of various rock climbing gyms across Canada. Languay has a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Sheridan College.

“I had been searching for the perfect venue to build a rock climbing gym for over five years but most places that had the potential to even house a gym were only accessible for those with vehicles. For me, the goal through this entire project has been simple: make climbing accessible for everyone,” said Basecamp Owner Matthew Languay.

“Over a year ago I came across the Metro Theatre and realized there was a chance to do something positive with the space and knew this was to be the future home of Basecamp.”

Basecamp on Facebook

The building’s extensive renovations, which are already underway, include:

The existing ceiling has been removed and will remain open with exposed steel

The building’s front wall (facing Bloor Street) is being pulled out by the old marquee. This wall needs to be completely reinforced

The marquee itself needs to be restored (which will stay in place in order to pay tribute to the former theatre)

The second floor and projector room on the third floor will be removed entirely and a new mezzanine floor constructed

The climbing walls will take up most of the main hall area with over 7,000 square feet of climbing surface

The Kickstarter campaign, aimed at raising $25,000, includes the following donation options: