TORONTO — The historic Distillery District, a go-to destination for Toronto locals and visitors alike thanks to its shops, bars and restaurants, is getting its own hotel.

Located at 60 Mill St, the Curio by Hilton will be the first hotel within one kilometre of the Distillery District, and the last remaining heritage building to be re-purposed in the district.

Easton’s Group of Hotels is overseeing the project, marking the first Curio by Hilton in Canada.

The 31-storey property, with 392 rooms, will preserve the heritage building’s exteriors as the base three floors. A rooftop bar and restaurant will offer spectacular city views.

The original building, constructed in 1890, was a rack house, storing up to 15,000 barrels of alcohol as part of Gooderham and Worts’ liquor manufacturing. While its function is an integral part of the building’s role in the distillery district’s operations, it also made plans for modernizing and repurposing the structure tricky: while the building is technically six storeys, it has no floors. Plus, the barrel storage racks forming the middle of the building are currently supporting the building itself, so any adaptation will require significant efforts to ensure that it is sufficiently supported once they are removed.

Once the hotel is completed, the entire volume of the existing heritage building will be publicly accessible to highlight the past use of the building to all visitors, says Dr. Steve Gupta, Founder & Chairman of The Gupta Group.

“We’re thrilled to bring Curio by Hilton to Canada, supporting the Distillery District as a vibrant community and tourist destination that is highly in need of hotel accommodations,” says Dr. Gupta. “Working with an immensely talented team of architects and designers, Easton’s Group of Hotels will restore this historic building and transform it into a cherished landmark, celebrating its prolific history while leaving a legacy for decades to come.”

Construction is expected to begin mid-2022.