Crystal Ballroom Toronto – Return to Glory

The Crystal Ballroom in Toronto was always a favourite spot to shoot over the years. It was an abandoned space with concrete floors and a broken chandelier that lay in the centre, as if abandoned in a bygone era. Anyone who passed by respected that.

The permit to shoot in the space was $5000 but in the early years of my shooting (15 years ago), the stairwell door would be left ajar for those who dared to explore.

A few years later, the doors were locked and access was tight. I had a source who could still pull favors but only once or twice a year.

The room had a presence. It was as if decades of parties and guests had left their stories and trusted the room with her silence. It was a powerful room and those who had the opportunity to see it–felt it.

I was blessed for years to have had the opportunity to shoot there. I can’t wait to see her transformation. She deserved to be restored to her rightful glory.

Read the Toronto Star article here