Canada Malting Silo

The iconic Canada Malting Silos have stood at the western entrance to Toronto’s harbour for nearly 100 years but have been out of use since the 1980s. Together with the City of Toronto, Brook Restoration, and Moon-Matz Engineers, ERA worked to transform the former industrial site into a new civic and cultural landmark.

The Canada Malting Complex at 5 Eireann Quay displays two rare surviving examples of grain elevators, a building type developed in North America. The 1929 and 1944 reinforced concrete silos are of a monumental scale, functional design and unadorned form that speaks to the technological processes of malt production that took place inside them.

ERA was engaged to provide heritage consulting services on the conservation of the concrete exterior, the restoration of the iconic signage lettering on the east and west facades, and the salvage of metal artifacts associated with the site’s industrial history as the largest producer of malt in Canada.

The restoration of the Canada Malting Silos forms an integral part of the redevelopment of the Bathurst Quay Common, a new City of Toronto waterfront park. Together with the park, the restored Canada Malting Silos create a welcoming gateway to the downtown core for visitors to Toronto arriving from the Toronto City Airport.