In 1996 Charles purchased this abandoned industrial property at 22 Grange Avenue, just west of the Art Gallery of Ontario. At the rear of the lot was a funeral home built in 1914. It later became a Chinese food warehouse. The unused garage at the front was removed to access the rear building.
The existing lot and rear warehouse in 1996 before
Charles transformed it into the Moose Factory gallery and event centre.
Rebuilt and opened up to Grange Ave in 1997-8, Moose Factory was described by
architecture critic Garrison Taddle as “the most innovative private showspace to appear
in Toronto in decades. Semiotically, it’s an oasis of optical bliss in a desert of dross. “
In 2005 the new Pachter Hall rose dramatically in the empty parking lot in front of the Moose Factory.
A benchmark of urban renewal, it contains additional galleries and a residential loft.
Click here to see a decade of Moose Factory events:
After twenty years of events and shows, the existing one-storey Moose Factory was demolished in 2019, and a new 2.5 storey live-work wing designed by architect Lia Maston, is currently under construction, with completion projected for February 2022.
