The Assembly Hall Community Cultural Centre
1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, Toronto, ON, M8V 4B6
416-338-7255
In the heart of the Lakeshore is a gathering place for private and public affairs.
Category:
Performing Arts Location
What:
| Performing Arts Venue | | Community Centre |
Where:
| Neighbourhood | | High Park |
| Getting There | | Queen streetcar |
| Cross Street | | Kipling and Lakeshore |
Profile Last Updated: May 12, 2009
Living History
A historic building on the Lakeshore Grounds in South Etobicoke, the Assembly Hall re-opened in 2001 as a local outlet for the performing arts, augmented with community meeting rooms and a gallery. The building is operated by the City of Toronto as a rental facility to accommodate many arts, heritage and community groups, and the grounds are complemented by a public art installation called The Third Garden, which incorporates walkways, sculptured seating and landscaping.
Flexible Setting
Assembly Hall’s second-storey, performance space features a cathedral ceiling and many arched windows overlooking the tree-laden grounds. The room can accommodate a performance audience of 250 in its tiered retractable seats. The space can also be used as a social hall for up to 140 people, with upholstered banquet chairs and lightweight tables available for use. Receptions, conferences, dinner theatre performances or trade shows can all be held in this versatile main room, equipped with a theatrical sound and lighting system. A kitchen helps to keep food warm or cold during catered events, and there’s an outdoor patio for receptions. Local artists and art groups are served with the opportunity to mount shows in the hall’s main gallery and lobby area. Two community rooms are ideal for meetings, lectures, workshops, rehearsals and classes or social gatherings.
Heritage Revival
The Assembly Hall was built in 1898, originally part of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, serving as a spot for recreation and worship for those working and staying in the facility. The building served this function for the community at large until the hospital closed in 1979. While it was shuttered for two decades, a heritage restoration process added a modern glass atrium to the original brick structure, resulting in a facility that has become particularly popular for weddings.
A historic building on the Lakeshore Grounds in South Etobicoke, the Assembly Hall re-opened in 2001 as a local outlet for the performing arts, augmented with community meeting rooms and a gallery. The building is operated by the City of Toronto as a rental facility to accommodate many arts, heritage and community groups, and the grounds are complemented by a public art installation called The Third Garden, which incorporates walkways, sculptured seating and landscaping.
Flexible Setting
Assembly Hall’s second-storey, performance space features a cathedral ceiling and many arched windows overlooking the tree-laden grounds. The room can accommodate a performance audience of 250 in its tiered retractable seats. The space can also be used as a social hall for up to 140 people, with upholstered banquet chairs and lightweight tables available for use. Receptions, conferences, dinner theatre performances or trade shows can all be held in this versatile main room, equipped with a theatrical sound and lighting system. A kitchen helps to keep food warm or cold during catered events, and there’s an outdoor patio for receptions. Local artists and art groups are served with the opportunity to mount shows in the hall’s main gallery and lobby area. Two community rooms are ideal for meetings, lectures, workshops, rehearsals and classes or social gatherings.
Heritage Revival
The Assembly Hall was built in 1898, originally part of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, serving as a spot for recreation and worship for those working and staying in the facility. The building served this function for the community at large until the hospital closed in 1979. While it was shuttered for two decades, a heritage restoration process added a modern glass atrium to the original brick structure, resulting in a facility that has become particularly popular for weddings.
