Frequently Asked Questions - The Stop’s Green Barn
Artscape Wychwood Barns are a multi-faceted community centre built on the previous site of the historic TTC Streetcar barns at Wychwood and St. Clair.
Artscape Wychwood Barns are comprised of four programmed components:
- The Studio Barn: 26 live/work studios and 15 work-only studios to professional artists as well as host a Community Gallery.
- The Covered Street Barn provides affordable community use space, including year-round access for community events, exhibitions, festivals, etc.
- The Community Barn, which provides affordable programming, rehearsal, office and meeting space to not-for-profit community arts and environmental organizations
- The Stop’s Green Barn houses a year-round temperate greenhouse, sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven and compost demonstration site.
The Artscape Wychwood Barns has been a project of Toronto Artscape, The Stop Community Food Centre and the City of Toronto, supported by a lead donation from the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation.
The Stop has been a key partner behind this exciting project for seven years. The Stop’s Green Barn is one of the four re-furbished barns at the site.
The Stop’s Green Barn is a satellite of The Stop Community Food Centre. An anchor in the re-development of the 4.3 acre public space known collectively as Artscape Wychwood Barns, The Stop’s Green Barn includes a greenhouse, sheltered garden, bake oven, compost demonstration centre, community kitchen and classroom.
The Stop’s Green Barn features:
- A year-round, 3,000 square foot greenhouse, which will grow approximately produce for our food programs at The Stop
- An exterior sheltered garden for the growth of seasonal produce and to demonstrate season extension techniques
- A classroom to teach kids about healthy food and where it comes from
- Community kitchen, to bring people together to cook and learn about healthy food together.
- An outdoor bake oven to host community pizza nights and bread baking
- Compost demonstration area, to teach people how to make compost, a cornerstone for growing sustainable food
- Drop in café
We are operating:
- Community cooking classes
- Season extension techniques in the sheltered garden
- Compost demonstration classes
- Educational programs for children on growing healthy food
- A farmers’ market
The Stop’s Green Barn is an exciting opportunity to bring our message about sustainable food production and community food security to a larger stage. It will serve as a model for policy makers and demonstrate our innovative approach to solving the complex problems of urban hunger to the entire city.
The programs and facilities at The Stop’s Green Barn reflect our key commitments:
- Build healthier communities through food access programming
- Educate children and adults on the value and importance of healthy food
- Use food to bring people together to break down social isolation and improve their quality of life
- Help other communities benefit from our learning and expertise
The Stop and The Stop's Green Barn is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Capital costs, including construction, operating equipment and materials, are estimated at $5 million.
Annual operating costs are estimated at $581,584. The revenue for ongoing operations will flow from a mix of private donations and social entrepreneurship programs.
We are currently considering a range of social entrepreneurship programs, including:
- Selling herbs grown in the greenhouse to high end restaurants
- A restaurant/café
- Vending carts selling healthy food
We have informal, self-guided open-houses on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. Monthly group tours are available. Please email tour [at] thestop [dot] org for more information.
