Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (Toronto)
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Toronto Ontario 43° 39' 12.53" N, 79° 23' 2.16" W Group
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) is a Japanese cultural centre located in the Don Mills neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the west side of the Don Valley Parkway just north of Eglinton Avenue.
Original Building
The JCCC's original building was designed and built in 1963 by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama; it was his first institutional project. The location and design of the building was carefully planned to support and honour the place of Japanese-Canadians in Canada. While the building materials are quite modern, the proportions of the building, the landscaping, and details are very traditionally Japanese. The building also had elements designed to draw parallels to the experiences of those Canadians incarcerated during World War II: the 2 storey windows in the main hall have lattice reminiscent of bars, and rain water is directed off the roof using chains attached to stones on the ground. Over time the building was no longer large enough for the growing JCCC, and the estimated cost of an addition was prohibitive. It was purchased in 2001 by the Lakhani family, was then redesigned in 2003 by Moriyama, and it has become the Noor Cultural Centre.
Current Building
The current building is a 114,000 square feet (10,591 m2) former printing plant. It was redesigned by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects to serve as the JCCC.
Gendai Gallery
The Gendai Gallery is the center's art gallery, with a focus on contemporary art and design from East Asian perspectives.