A Utilitarian masterpiece combined with a century old Art Decor the “Palace of Purification” is truly one of the wonders of Ontario. Despite competition with the CN Tower and even the Prince Edward Viaduct (watch for my blog and GS on that) in my humble opinion as a civil engineering technologist who for years worked as a surveyor in the highway and bridge construction industry I’m stating my opinion that the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant tops my list!  What’s yours?

Why would I consider this above the others? I’m basing my opinion on a few criteria in no particular order.

• Era
• The need for modernization 
• Engineering
• Longevity

The R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant is a striking and hardworking landmark. I respect the combination of the two!  It is definitely a rare blend of architectural grandeur and an essential public service to one third of Toronto residents from central and eastern parts of Toronto and the southern portion of York Region via the city’s reservoir and trunk-watermain network. 

Completed in stages between the 1930s and 1940s, this Art Deco “Palace of Purification” continues to play a vital role today, supplying a significant portion of the city’s clean drinking water. Its massive pumps, filtration halls, and carefully engineered intake systems make it a quiet backbone of Toronto’s daily life, delivering safe water to millions without fanfare.

Beyond its utility, the site has become a magnet for curious visitors. Sitting high on a bluff above Lake Ontario, it offers wide-open lawns, dramatic stone facades, and sweeping lake views that draw photographers, architecture fans, and history-minded tourists year-round. Doors Open Toronto often features the plant, giving people a rare look inside its tiled corridors and cathedral-like pump rooms.

The building’s distinctive look has also made it a film and television favourite. Over the years it has appeared as everything from an asylum to a prison to a secretive corporate headquarters in productions like Strange Brew, In the Mouth of Madness, Half Baked, Undercover Brother, Flashpoint, and The Expanse.

Practical, beautiful, and endlessly cinematic, the R.C. Harris plant remains a one-of-a-kind Toronto icon.