The Carlu

Very beautiful modern venue. I was in attendance for a work-​related symposium and was pleasantly surprised. I have been going to school in the area (at RyersonU) for a number of years and didn’t realize that this existed!
PROS
+ very beautiful and modern venue, with great stands and stations for coat check, beverages, etc.
+ top notch stages, audio & visual equipment, social media capabilities (though I’m not sure if it was outsourced or not) and seating.
CONS
— hidden in the building connected to the College subway station, it becomes easy to miss/​get lost while searching for the Carlu. However, given the busyness of Toronto, this is forgivable.

Came to The Carlu for a corporate holiday party with my company. We had booked the entire venue for the evening and hosted a masquerade party.
The venue was very classy and elegant. I appreciated the different atmospheres that you would step into as you moved from room to room. Some resembled more of an art gallery setting, while others were more like a restaurant lounge with a live jazz ensemble playing.
Getting into The Carlu was confusing for some, as it is not entirely clear depending on how you walk into College Park.

I finally had a chance to check out this event space after having heard a fair bit about it. I must say, as far as venues go, it’s pretty lovely. The fact that the party I was attending had a 20s theme really worked well with the Carlu’s art deco style.
The majority of the staff were pleasant; however, a bartender rather rudely told us that until all the doors were open, we had to wait to get a drink. The party was scheduled to start at 8:30 according to the invite, but the room wasn’t set up until 9. So we had to sit around waiting. Perhaps the bartender realized she was rather curt because she made a point to come over to us in the lobby and let us know that the bar was open (though the doors were still closed for the record).
Besides that run in, it was enjoyable and I really hope I get to attend more functions at this venue.

ive been to the carlu several times. twice for a couple of parties and once to see as a possible wedding venue.
as you exit the elevators you face a very long and spacious lobby. within this lobby is access to two bars and a few rooms. closest to college street they have a smaller lounge room that at the time was a place where you could smoke. im not sure if that still exists. from that room is a door which connects to the most beautfiul ballroom in the venue.
this room is circular and grand with tall ceilings, ample space for tables and a dancefloor. this room was featured in the movie cinderella man to great effect as a classy nightclub for a dinner scene in the 1930s with lots of beautiful dresses and snazzy tuxes. to me this is no surprise and a perfect choice for that time period because it does have that flair; you expect to be hearing benny goodman playing in the background.
that large ballroom connects to a smaller room that might during a wedding be used as a room for the ceremony, or a press room at film events… either way ive seen it dressed up and though its simple in design as a small rectangle, its adorned with lovely candles that hang simply from the ceilings on the walls.
finally across the way there is a huge event hall that houses a stage and a large enough space for an even bigger sit down affair. i dont recall anything that stands out about that part of it as i always remember it being filled with chairs.
so as a venue in total, i dont feel like there are any others like it in the city — especially if you judge it by the circular 30s style ballroom.
they seem to have very specific rules with regards to the way they served alcohol during wedding celebrations, though you could choose between different caterers that they offered. we didnt end up going here, but i do enjoy the variety of its rooms whenever i happen to come here for a party.

I heard about this hidden, to-​be-​renovated art deco space when I worked at College Park in 2001. Thanks to my friendship with the maintenance guy, I got to check out the dusty, musty space. For that moment, I felt like this unexplored territory was all mine. Blood-​vessel-​bursting exciting.
The public opening was a bit anti-​climactic and a titch disappointing. Granted, it is a lovely, beautiful and stylish space, with vast, spacious rooms all renovated to their 1930s glory. Slick. High rolling. I’ve been here a couple of times, and even though these events were high-​profile soirees, I felt like I was at a glorified office Christmas party.
It’s perfect for those impersonal, multi-​organization get-​togethers, for big-​dollar fundraisers, usually attracting overpriced suits, salon up-​dos, and ample Canadian b-​list celebrities. («Oh, my gad? Is that the judge from Canada’s Next Top Model?!»)
But a place where I can feel really comfortable? Not so sure. I think I liked it better when it was dirty.