Type Exhibition building Address 15 Saskatchewan Road Floor count 1 Floors 1 Architect George Wallace Gouinlock | Structural system Steel Truss Opened 1907 | |
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Floor area 32,000 square feet (3,000 m) Similar Exhibition Place, Automotive Building, Horse Palace, Pure Food Building, Scadding Cabin | ||
The Horticulture Building, which houses the Muzik Nightclub, is a heritage building at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, containing event and conference space. It was built in 1900s for the display of horticulture during the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). It is a listed heritage building. Along with four other buildings at Exhibition Place designed by the same architect, it is a National Historic Site of Canada. After a long period of use, the CNE closed the building and leased it to private management as the nightclub.
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Description
The Horticulture Building was constructed in 1907, designed by local architect G. W. Gouinlock in the Beaux Arts style. It is a one-storey building, in the layout of an "E" with a large glass dome at the intersection of the wings. The glass dome is the site of the main entrance facing south. The wings extend to the east and west to the north.
History
The site was previously the site of Toronto's Crystal Palace building, an exhibition hall fashioned after the design of the Crystal Palace in London, England. The Palace was destroyed by fire on October 18, 1906, spread by sparks from a fire in the grandstand building. The following year, the Horticulture Building was constructed.
Between 1942 and 1946, when the CNE grounds were in use by the Canadian armed forces, the Horticulture Building became the Quartermaster Stores. In September 1949, when the passenger liner the S.S. Noronic was destroyed by fire in Toronto Harbour, the Horticulture Building was turned into an emergency morgue. It temporarily housed as many as 104 casualties.
In 1958, the building was used in the design competition for Toronto's City Hall. All of the models for the new city hall and square were put on display for public inspection.
In 2004, Muzik Clubs Inc. won a competitive process to occupy the building and grounds from 2004 until 2024. It operates the upscale Muzik club on Saturday nights and uses the building for other private events. In 2013, the club proposed building swimming pools on the site in exchange for an extension of the lease until 2034. It was turned down.