Main St to Doors Open - R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant 4 km (5/26/2019)

DISTANCE: about 4 km + (5 km optional walk on the beach) + (4 km optional walk back to Main St station)

PACE: about 4.5 km/h

DIFFICULTY: D2

WASHROOMs?: Tim's near the hike start

We will do a short 4 km hike to the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, then take a self- guided tour through the facility. (see details at bottom of this page)

If anyone is interested after the tour, we can go for a walk on the beach towards the Scarborough Bluffs. distance to be determined.
If we walk on the beach and then to the end of the first set of boulders then back to Main St, that will total 13km

Our route:

• start at Main St station
• south through neigbourhoods
• through Glen Stewart Park
• south through more neigbourhoods
• end at R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant
• .
• If anyone is interested after the tour, we can go for a walk on the beach towards the Scarborough Bluffs. distance to be determined.
• If we walk on the beach and then to the end of the first set of boulders then back to Main St, that will total 13km
• After the tour (and beach walk) I will walk back to Main St station. You can join me if you want to
• Otherwise, the Queen St street car is available right in front of the treatment plant

For an interactive Route Map CLICK HERE for route 745708

Meet near the collector's booth at Main Street subway station

MAP OF STARTING LOCATION

PICTURE OF STARTING LOCATION

This hike will go forth snow, rain or shine, but thunderstorms will cause cancellation
Please arrive before the start time, we will start PROMPTLY at the start time.

Facility and Tour description from:

R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant
Government / City-owned Building, Built 1930- 1939
2701 Queen Street East

Days Open
Saturday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Last Admittance: 3:30 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Last Admittance: 3:30 pm

Architecture
Year: Year constructed: 1932-1937, opened in 1941
Style: Art Deco (1918-1940)
Original Architect: Thomas Canfield Pomphrey, Gore, Nasmith & Storrie Consulting Engineers

Building Description
Constructed in the 1930s, the R.C. Harris is the largest of the City's four water treatment plants, providing
an average of 400 million litres of safe drinking water to residents in Toronto and York Region each day.
Dubbed 'The Palace of Purification', the R.C. Harris was commissioned by Roland Caldwell Harris, Toronto's
first and longest-serving Public Works Commissioner, as a water showcase to highlight the routine and essential
function needed to make cities possible. The R. C. Harris is the largest ensemble of Art Deco buildings in
Toronto, providing an excellent example of how Art Deco style can integrate with Late Romanesque Revival and
Modern Classical forms. The plant is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as a National Historic Civil
Engineering Site, and has been recognized as a Canadian Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association.

Visitor Experience
A self-guided tour will help visitors explore the architectural features of the two largest buildings at the
R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant the Pump House and the Filter Building. Water Treatment Plant staff will be
available to answer your questions on the water treatment process and the building itself.

Photography / Filming
Interior photography permitted, without tripod
Interior filming is not permitted