
The Redpath Sugar Refinery is a sugar storage, refining and museum complex in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada.
[, ''Emporis.com''.] The site is located east of
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the nor ...
, the intersection of
Queens Quay and
Jarvis Street.
Buildings
The complex, opened in 1958, houses the storage and refining plant of Toronto-based
Redpath Sugar. The complex consists of Building 1 (eight floors), a chimney stack, and Building 2 (five floors), which houses the sugar museum. The sugar processed at the plant originates in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
and
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and is delivered by ships using the
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...
. Due to the limited shipping season,
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
is stockpiled each fall in facilities next to the processing plant.
In 2006, the red illuminated "Redpath Sugar" sign that adorned the north side of the building was taken down and replaced with a sign (since removed) for
Tate & Lyle, the owner at that time (Redpath is now owned by
American Sugar Refining). The Redpath signage on the west side of the building is still intact. The north-facing wall of the Raw Sugar Shed features a whale mural by artist
Wyland.
Redpath Sugar Museum
Since 1979, Redpath has operated the Redpath Sugar Museum in the building, with exhibits about the refining of sugar and making of sugar products. The museum is affiliated with the
Canadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association (CMA; , ''AMC''), is a national non-profit organization for the promotion of museums in Canada. It represents Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. As with most trade associations ...
,
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN; , RCIP) is a special operating agency within the federal Department of Canadian Heritage that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage institutions. It is based in Gatineau, Quebec, an ...
, and
Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
*
Harbourfront – neighbourhood in Toronto
*
Peter Redpath
Peter Redpath (August 1, 1821 – February 1, 1894) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist, closely associated with Redpath Sugar.
Biography
Redpath was born in Montreal, Lower Canada, the son of a Scottish immigrant, John Redpath, ...
*
Redpath Museum
The Redpath Museum is a museum of natural history belonging to McGill University and located on the university's campus on Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1882 as a gift from the sugar baron Peter Redpath.
I ...
*
Sugar Beach
Sugar Beach is an urban beach park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that opened in 2010. It is located across from Redpath Sugar Refinery in Toronto's eastern East Bayfront. Like HTO Park to the west, the beach is not meant for wading or swimming ...
*
Toronto Harbour
Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a natural bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or p ...
References
External links
*
* – Emporis.com
Redpath Sugar Museum – contact*
Redpath Sugar Museum– Ontario Museum Association
{{Toronto landmarks
Museums in Toronto
Industrial buildings completed in 1958
Museums established in 1979
Food museums in Canada
Industry museums in Canada
Redpath family
Sugar refineries
1958 establishments in Ontario
Sugar museums