Downsview Park will serve as the new home of the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Museum.
Recently construction began on the $1 million, 13,000-square-foot facility at 39 Carl Hall Rd. The museum previously occupied a 2,500-square-foot space in Halton Hills.
“When you consider that Canada is a very small country and for four months of the year we’re under snow, we have a remarkable list of achievements and a very richheritage in racing,” said Brad Brown, executive director of the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Museum.
The new facility will feature a theatre showing continuous racing footage; a new race experience centre complete with simulators; and a number of new vehicles given to the museum on permanent loan, including Canadian driver Greg Moore’s first race car. A number of events — including those specifically geared toward women — are also planned, Brown said.
The proximity to Highway 401, William R. Allen Road and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre were part of the site’s appeal to house the new museum.
“It’s just far, far more accessible than we’ve ever been,” Brown said.
The future plans for Downsview Park — including residential developments — were also a factor in the museum’s location.
“I think it’s exciting to be there on the ground floor, and we’re looking forward to growing with them,” Brown said.
Downsview Park president and CEO Tony Genco said the partnership represented a good match.
“We thought that this museum, both from the standpoint of its transportation focus as well as from the standpoint of the celebration of Canadian culture, was a perfect fit,” he said.
Genco added that the facility would work alongside the Canadian Air & Space Museum located at the park.
Brown, who has been “overwhelmed” by volunteer offers, said that success of the museum will be based on its ability to engage visitors.
“Our challenge, which I believe we can do very well, is to create enough of a rotation of content to keep the offering consistently fresh and therefore engage people,” he said
The facility is expected to open sometime next spring.