There's nothing quite like being here in person, but this will give you a hint of some of the special features that can be found on each floor of 401 Richmond. Sorry we can't take you inside the studios, but check out the Tenant Listing to see who's here and what they do. You can also get a closer look at the architecture and gardens by visiting pages dedicated to those subjects.
In the spring of 2010 we expanded the lobby at 401 Richmond to open up the northeast corner of the building and create a new space called the 401 Lounge (read more in the Spring 2010 issue of the 401 Richmond Update). In the lobby you can pick up a copy of the Update Newsletter, and peruse our tenant directory. The main floor is home to nine galleries: Open Studio, A Space, Red Head, Gallery 44, Urbanspace Gallery, WARC Gallery, Prefix ICA, YYZ Artists' Outlet, and Wynick/Tuck.
Just around the corner from the main lobby you can visit our unique interior courtyard and stop by The Roastery Coffee House for a coffee or a bite to eat. This is also where you will find our events bulletin board for tenants and the local community. Down the hall you can stop in to Musideum (a rare instrument shop) and Swipe/Built Books featuring books on advertising, design, architecture, and urbanism. Then jump on the glass observation elevator and catch a view of the interior section of the building as you go up.
If you take the stairs from the main lobby you will be greeted by Jane Jacobs Portrait by John Scott and Deborah Waddington on the second floor landing, and get your first glimpse of our stunning collection of plants that spend the winter in our sunny stairwells. On the second floor you can find a variety of creative studios: visual artists, research scientists, sculptors, clothing designers, not-for-profit organizations, internet consultants and signmakers to name a few. The glass corridor that connects the north and south arms of the building, referred to as the "skywalk" can be visited from the second floor and provides an excellent view of the entire building. The building was constructed in four stages over twenty-four years and you can see the changes in brick and window type from this location.
The third floor also has a "skywalk" that takes you to the south side of the building where you can see the original skylights that poke through the roof of the building (only the north and west side of the building has a fourth floor) and are often filled with hanging plants. There is a dynamic collection of art in the halls and another exciting mix of tenants and uses including: painters, writers, photographers, designers, film production, magazine publishing, and videomaking facilities and gallery Trinity Square Video.
The fourth floor has wider than average halls and a terrific tenant mix including a translator, arts advocates, a milliner (Gwendolyne Hats Boutique), energy therapists, deisgners, and an independent video distributor and video salon (Vtape). This is also where you can access 401 Richmond's gorgeous 9,000 square foot roof garden complete with tables and chairs for a comfortable visit. The garden has a mix of trees and shrubs, a huge variety of annuals, many started from seed in the forty foot greenhouse, and a pergola lining one side of the deck that provides a happy home to a selection of ferns and fuschias. There is also an extensive green roof on the east end of the rooftop that can be admired from the cedar deck.
The basement at 401 provides the perfect space for a spanish dance company, music and recording studios, darkrooms, a holography lab, and artists' studios. There is also bike parking in the basement.
Group tours can be arranged by contacting Erin MacKeen at 416.595.5900 x25 or email.
You can also catch a live art tour once a month as part of our Brickolage Monthly Tour Series
