It is safe to say that every backpacking guest that enjoys a pint of the “amber nectar” and visited our hostel (prior to this summer) is familiar with the legendary “Fox”.
Since our Toronto Hostel is located right in the heart of the “Entertainment District”, it safe to say that we are in close proxmity to pubs and nighclubs – lots of them!
The Fox and Fiddle was a two story Georgian Style structure located exactly one block east of the hostel’s front door. It wasn’t the closest bar to the hostel; nor was it the most elegant; and it certainly wasn’t the cleanest.
But it was far and away the most popular – by far. (Delicious half-price chicken wings on Sunday and Monday as well as $10 pitchers of beer helped win fans).
The “Fox” was located on the northeast corner of the massive Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) headquarters and condominium development. It had to make way for progress. (It is being replaced by a 40 story luxury condo).
The building had been designated a “Heritage Structure” and was thus saved from demolition. The developer had the choice of incorporating the building into the condominium’s design or moving the entire building.
There are only six companies in Ontario that can accomplish such a delicate undertaking. All were busy and the Fox remained open for almost an additional year while the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre and two condo towers were being built on the other corners of the same block.
Just a few weeks ago, the Fox disappeared overnight.
It had been sealed-up, undermined, jacked up and moved in the middle of the night. The historic building has now been re-located directly across the street.
Unfortuately, the owners of the Fox and Fiddle franchise have also relocated so the building is no longer a pub. Nonetheless, you’ll still be able to enjoy a pint at two new pubs opened kitty-corner from the old Fox Pub site.
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