Filming Locations: Where was The Shape of Water filmed?

The new movie of Guillermo del Toro is a visually powerful film, featuring some interesting filming locations. This is a love story between a mute woman working in a hidden high-security government laboratory, and a sea creature that was found in the rivers of South America.

The cast is led by Sally Hawkins (Elisa) and Octavia Spencer (Zelda), as the facilities cleaning women. Doug Jones gets -literally- into the skin of an other-worldly amphibian. Michael Shannon is the temperamental Colonel Richard, and Richard Jenkins is Elisa's friend, Giles.

The Shape of Water was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton in Ontario (Canada). However, the movie is set in Baltimore (Maryland) during the years of the Cold War, around 1963. A large part of the film, including the Occam Aerospace Research Center and Elisa's apartment, was shot at Cinespace Studios.

The exteriors of the research facility were filmed at the John Andrews Building in the Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto.
(Tip: you can open all the locations on Google Maps clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Sean Marshall - Map

The water man goes to the cinema in the beautiful Elgin Theatre in Toronto, where the film premiered during the Toronto International Film Festival. This is the same location where the Umbrella Academy was filmed in season one. Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Anton Bielousov - Map

The exteriors of the Orpheum theatre were filmed at Massey Hall, also in Toronto.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Secondary Waltz - Map

Dundas and Ossington street (Toronto) were filled with vintage cars, and diner scenes were set in The Lakeview Restaurant. Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Google Maps

The Shape of Water crew shot Dr. Hoffstetler's apartment outside a building at 181 MacNab St S in Hamilton.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Google Maps

According to local newspaper TheSpec.com filming also took place in Hamilton City Hall, that served as Giles' former company building (pictured), and the old Delta Bingo at 46 King Street E. Image by Saforrest - Map

The meeting place of the Russians is the Lakeshore Sand Company in Hamilton.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight - Map

The scenes at the docks were filmed in the Don River area around the Keating Channel, Lake Shore Boulevard E and Villiers St in Toronto. This is also one of the locations where The Boys is filmed.
Image courtesy of Fox Searchlight - Map

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