It’s not usually open to the public, but the once-a-year Doors Open Toronto event invites everyone to take a peek inside a collection of heritage buildings and city infrastructure. The Toronto Transit Commission’s Danforth Carhouse was built in 1911 by the Toronto Civic Railway to service its growing streetcar network. It was transferred to the TTC in 1921 and continued to service the urban railway until 1966 when the subway opened to replace the Danforth streetcar.
That year, the facility was transformed from a carhouse to a garage for 134 buses. A wash station, diesel fuel pump, hoists and inspection pits serviced the fleet division. The Danforth Garage itself ran out of space to expand in the middle of the city so it was replaced by the Eglinton Garage in 2002. Today, it is slated for renewal into affordable housing and a public library with public access to the old bus barns.
