Evergreen Brick Works Toronto: Trails, Market and History

Bricks made in this valley went into Casa Loma and Massey Hall, and the quarry that made them is now a place you can wander on a Saturday morning with a market bag over your shoulder.

What is Evergreen Brick Works?

Evergreen says the Brick Works sits on the historic site of the former Don Valley Brick Works and quarry, the site that made the bricks that built Toronto. In 2010, the charity Evergreen turned a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into a showcase for green design and a public space. It describes the result as Canada’s first large-scale community environmental centre. The Brick Works opened in 2010 as a year-round living demonstration of how past and present can work together to create greener models for urban living.

It is open daily and all year, and Evergreen says it welcomes more than 500,000 visitors annually. Evergreen also runs it as a social enterprise: profit from ventures such as events, the Evergreen Garden Market and camps goes back into maintaining the Brick Works and funds Evergreen’s work across Canada. That makes a market-day coffee feel a little more useful.

What is the industrial heritage story?

Evergreen’s timeline says William Taylor and his two brothers opened the Don Valley Brick Works in 1889. The City says brick-making ran from 1889 to 1989, using water from Mud Creek and clay from the quarry. Besides Casa Loma and Massey Hall, those bricks went into the Ontario Legislature, parts of the University of Toronto’s St. George campus and numerous private homes.

Today the Don Valley Brick Works has 16 remaining heritage buildings and an adjacent 16-hectare public park, Weston Family Quarry Garden, with wetlands, hiking trails and wildflower meadows. The City adds that the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority acquired the site in 1989 and that restoration work began with the City in 1995.

What can you do on the trails?

The City calls Don Valley Brick Works Park a flagship natural environment park, a former quarry that has been transformed. The trails inside the quarry garden connect at grade to the Brick Works. They are granular, affected by the weather, and tied into the Belt Line Trail by a paved ramp, while the trails up to the quarry ridge lookout are steep. Wear shoes that can handle a muddy day.

A self-guided tour with educational signage sits along the way. The park’s wetlands are working landscapes, too. The City says a series of constructed wetlands filters water from Mud Creek before it flows to the Don River and ultimately Lake Ontario.

Want more distance? Our Lower Don Trail guide walks the valley section by section and sends you on to Crothers Woods. Or come in from Rosedale on Milkman’s Lane, a gravel trail of more than 130 years that connects Rosedale to the Don Valley trail network and the park. Evergreen’s walking directions start at Castle Frank Station and put the walk at 25 to 30 minutes, with a relatively gradual descent into the valley.

What is the Saturday Farmers Market like?

Evergreen’s Saturday Farmers Market is open year-round, connecting people in Toronto to local Ontario farmers and producers. Evergreen says it has grown into the largest year-round farmers market in Toronto, and that all its vendors are within a 205 km radius of the Brick Works. It supports over 100 local farmers, producers, entrepreneurs and chefs each year.

The seasons change the setting. The market is outdoors under the Pavilions from May to October and indoors in the TD Future Cities Centre from November to April.

On Sundays, the Ontario Artisan Market and Ontario Vintage Market run most weeks from May to October in the Pavilions. Check Evergreen’s page for the dates that remain. When the cold arrives, the separate Evergreen Winter Market guide has the plan.

Are there free tours?

Evergreen’s site tours page lists free public tours on Saturdays, meeting at the Welcome Desk in Building 14 and running rain or shine. Check that page for the current schedule. The Nature Tour is an hour-long outdoor walk across the industrial site and the park beyond. The History Tour is an hour in length and goes across the industrial site and into the historic buildings. Public tours take 20 people and are first come, first served, so arrive early.

Prefer to wander on your own? Evergreen’s audio tours are free, self-guided and run through the Driftscape app.

What else is on site?

Evergreen says its public gardens are open for the enjoyment of the community. They include Koerner Gardens, the Healing Gardens, the Birds, Bees and Butterflies Garden, the Children’s Garden and Tiffany Commons. Its public art page invites you to see works on display across the site by local and international artists.

Evergreen’s Free Public Skate page describes its outdoor rink as weaving through snow-covered gardens under exposed beams from the old brick factory roof. Check that page for this season’s skating dates, and note that many areas of the site keep different hours.

How do you get there by TTC?

You have three good options. The TTC says to take Line 1 to Davisville Station, then the 28 Bayview South bus to Evergreen Brick Works. Evergreen confirms the 28 Bayview South from Davisville. Or head to Broadview Station for Evergreen’s free shuttle bus, which it says runs seven days a week, all year round.

Cyclists can come in via Beechwood Drive, the Lower Don Trail and Pottery Road. The TTC sums the site up as a former brick factory turned community hub for nature, culture and sustainability. For other transit-friendly outings, see our guide to Toronto ravines you can reach by TTC, the guide to TTC day trips and our Toronto ravines guide.

Send this to the friend you would bring to the farmers market, then walk the quarry afterward.