February 6, 2026

“A neglected city-owned site that once housed the St. Andrews Market in the mid-19th century is bustling once again. Where people once arrived by horse and carriage on Saturday mornings to purchase their meat and produce, patrons now gather for lattes and vendor-prepared meals in a European-style food hall in the King West neighbourhood of Toronto.”

In an article for REMI Network, writer Rebecca Melnyk looks at the revitalization of one of Toronto’s most historically significant blocks through the transformation of the 1930s-era Water Works Building into a mixed-use destination. 

Designed by Diamond Schmitt with heritage conservation led by ERA Architects, Waterworks—winner of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Americas Award for Excellence—integrates a food hall, a 60,000-square-foot YMCA, a youth shelter, and family-oriented residential suites, including affordable units.

By emphasizing both heritage and contemporary design, Waterworks addresses community needs, city policy, and practical development goals, while introducing new social infrastructure and breaking down socio-economic barriers. Melnyk quotes Principal Don Schmitt, who reflects on the project’s visionary approach: “That art of the possible depends on problem solving, open-mindedness, and being able to not take the easy way out. It simply requires an attitude to get it done and to work together.”

Melnyk highlights Diamond Schmitt’s role in integrating a “complex mix of uses along the site’s northern edge above St. Andrew’s Playground.” Schmitt observed “how the surrounding area had been experiencing rapid residential construction but lacked the social infrastructure needed to support a healthy community.”

Through preservation and expansion of heritage components, the design introduces new building wings while maintaining openness and a human scale. “Due to the breadth of the urban block, the building achieves significant residential density without feeling tall and overwhelming,” Melnyk writes. “The team conducted studies to determine the most efficient use of the site and maximized density while preserving light, views, openness, and a human scale.”

Melnyk adds that after eight years of planning, the ground floor of the former machine shop now buzzes with food-focused retail inspired by European food halls, featuring seating arranged at individual kiosks rather than traditional centralized tables. Inside, the restoration preserves the building’s Art Deco character, including high ceilings, steel beams, and large southern-facing windows that give pedestrians direct access to the fully restored adjacent park.

Read the full story featured in REMI Network.