Toronto, ON: 1951-83 1.2gw Richard L. Hearn generating Station and Summer Festivals

(3D Satellite)

Toronto is spending big bucks to turn much of its industrial waterfront into new office space and parks called Villers Island. This generating station is being repurposed accordingly.

Street View, Aug 2023

Dave Trumble posted two photos with the comment: "The R.L. Hearn GS. Not sure of the date (1975ish) of the actual picture. Looks like a couple units running. Launched my career here (closing in on 50 years ago). What amazes me about this is that yesterday I had reason to talk about the station and all of sudden this old acquaintance is on my FB feed."

1
[Note the big pile of coal on the right side.]

2

John Vincent commented on Dave's post
Hearn units 1&2, 1960. My father worked there through the 50' and early 60's.

One of many photos in a Flickr Album by Alex Luyckx, Taken on Apr 1, 2006
Generators
Eight Units.
The first four units were 100MW coal fired generators, they were installed in the original station. The remaining four units were installed in the sixties and put out 200MW. In 1971 all the generators were converted to burn natural gas, with the first four units retaining their ability to burn coal.
These have since been removed completely and the bay is empty. At least the workers got a kick out of our 'guest book' on Unit 8. O RLY?

 

One of many photos in InvisibleThreads
The first units started in 1951, and it was decommissioned in 1983.

Another collection of urbex photos

One of many photos in a Flickr Album by Alex Luyckx, Taken on Apr 1, 2006
Rotor

There were plans in 2002 to turn the building into a film studio. "But those plans were eventually abandoned." [MovieMaps] Instead of a becoming sound stages, the buiding has been used as a location for some movies.

A concept was proposed in 2008 to make it an ice-skating ring.

StudioJantzen

StudioJantzen

The for 10th annual Luminato Festival held in 2016, containers were used to transform the interior into various cultural resources including an art gallery and a theater.

1 of 11 photos in DesignBoom

During the 2016 festival, people were allowed to explore the building.

1 of several photos from gloomthzine

The theater had 1,100 seats and there was "an adaptable Music Stage that could accommodate 2,000 seated and 5,000 standing which hosted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the industrial/gothic noise of Sunn O))), Rufus Wainwright performing Judy Garland, and the Canadian participatory choral group Choir, Choir, Choir." [Charcoalblue]

Luminato used the power plant for a fundraising gala in 2015.

TorontoLife_gala

Drone shots of the exterior and interior of the 2016 festival preparations.

1:07 video @ 0:50

Globalnews mentioned base jumping from the top of the 770' (235m) tall smokestack. I guess that plan came to fruition. Did they build an elevator inside the stack?

4:11 video @ 1:50

On Jun 11, 2016, 1500 singers sang HALLELUJAH!

6:26 video @ 2:00 (source)

There was going to be a Waterfront Night Market in 2017, but the fire department shut it down for fire code violations just days before it was supposed to open. The violations included a lack of fire alarm systems and fire exits. [blogto]

In 2018, it was controversially sold to its long-term tenant, Studios of America Limited Partnership, for $16m. [GlobalNews]

Another event was planned for 2019. "As the City moves to buy back the Hearn from Studios of America and battles to protect the decommissioned power plant with heritage status, the party is making the moves to reclaim the space as a venue for the arts before it's too late." The planners are being careful to work with the fire department during the planning stage. And people will be allowed on the first floor, but not the second floor, because of saftey concerns. [blogto]

TheSpaces, photo by Jonathan Castellino
"Since being decommissioned 33 years ago, the power plant has also been used as a location in films such as Pacific Rim and the upcoming Suicide Squad."

TorontoLive_luminato, Photo by Daniel Neuhaus
[This article also had redentions and photos of the theater and music stage.]
"One Thousand Speculations, an eight-metre-wide [26'] disco ball constructed by Montreal sculptor Michel de Broin, hangs in the Hearn’s northeast corner. The same orb dangled above David Pecaut Square during Luminato in 2013."

TorontoLife, 1 of several photos by Jonathan Castellino of the installation of the ball
It has 1,184 mirrors, each 40cm (1.3') square, and took 150 hours to install. The ball can be shipped to various venues in two shipping containers. The mirrors are made with acrylic instead of glass so it is "just" 3 tons instead of 6 tons. They took advantage of the fact that power plants have a powerful overhead crane.