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The group behind Hugh’s Room Reside (HRL) has introduced the official buy of the group’s new residence. HRL has purchased the historic church property at 296 Broadview Avenue to make use of not solely as a efficiency venue, however a cultural hub.
Brian Iler, the Board Chair commented in a press release, “This new residence isn’t only a game-changer, it’s a groundbreaking music sanctuary. Our imaginative and prescient for this house consists of devoted help for artists, efficiency studios, and vibrant neighborhood musical actions.”
Toronto’s roster of stay music and performances venues took a particular hit over the previous few years, with a minimum of a dozen closures since 2020. That checklist consists of the Decrease Ossington Theatre, and Hugh’s Room Reside, which was obliged to go away its longstanding residence within the Junction neighbourhood after a brand new lease couldn’t be negotiated.
Hugh’s Room Reside — A Legacy
Hugh’s Room Reside was based in 2002, and named within the reminiscence of the late musician Hugh Carson. It was housed at 2261 Dundas West for almost 20 years, and have become identified within the metropolis for providing audiences excessive profile artists from Canada and around the globe in a nightclub setting. The venue performed host to Canadian legends like Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot and Buffy Sainte-Marie, together with worldwide icons like Albert Lee, Judy Collins, and lots of others.
It fills a necessity for a excessive profile venue on the small to medium-sized degree. Throughout its years of exile from its unique residence in 2020, Hugh’s Room Reside has staged greater than 100 performances, together with each on-line live shows through the pandemic, and stay performances. The live shows have been unfold over a number of out there venues in Toronto’s west finish.
However, the search was all the time on for a brand new, and hopefully everlasting, residence. The profitable effort introduced collectively a gaggle of greater than 1,000, together with donors, volunteers, and bondholders.
Based on HRL, the funds embrace greater than $550,000 in donations, $900,000 in gross sales of Hugh’s Bonds, and a single donor who offered $1.3 million to shut the deal. The price of the constructing is $4.3 million.
“I’d prefer to name out a number of folks particularly,” Iler stated. “None of this might have occurred with out the management of our formidable Alternate Chair, Jim Thomas; our persistent actual property advisor, musician and Board Member, Laura Fernandez or our devoted Treasurer, Michael Capotosto. Whereas we nonetheless have hurdles to beat, one factor is for certain: the way forward for Hugh’s Room Reside is safe, and we’re able to strengthen this multipurpose cultural establishment that our metropolis and neighborhood desperately want.”
Subsequent Steps
The constructing at 296 Broadview was designed by architect E.J. Lennox, a local of town, who additionally designed Casa Loma, Outdated Metropolis Corridor, and different iconic constructions. The 129 yr previous constructing has good bones, as they are saying, and fantastic acoustics. It’s massive sufficient for not solely a live performance house, however a number of areas for music making.
Subsequent steps embrace making ready the house absolutely for stay performances, which HRL says will kick off in September. The method will embrace session with neighbours, each people and native companies with a aim of making a neighborhood arts hub.
It’s a welcome be aware of stability for a longstanding group, with hopes for an expanded future.
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Anya Wassenberg is a Senior Author and Digital Content material Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher with OntarioLearn.
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