Long-shuttered Shaw Street School reopens today as Youngplace, another live/work project from Artscape. The 100-year-old heritage-designated property was boarded up in 2000 when declining student enrollment in the neighbourhood made it redundant, and Shaw Street's pupils were then transferred to nearby Givins Street School. Neighbours have wondered for years what was planned for the site, and there was speculation the building would be razed for a condo or retail development.
Artscape, the folks who brought similar live/work projects like Wychwood Barns and Gibraltar Point to Toronto, acquired the school from the Toronto District School Board in 2010 and have put $17,000,000 into extensive renovations like new windows, roof, and completely new infrastructure. Youngplace's tenants will include arts organizations like SKETCH and Luminato, and individual artists such as musician Eve Egoyan and visual artist Heather Nicol. Will Torontonians now head to art school in order to find a cheap place to live?
·Artscape Youngplace [Official Site]
·Trinity Bellwoods Bingo [BlogTO]
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