Antique billiard tables and the warm interior of the Academy of Spherical Arts

One Snooker Street, Toronto

The art of
a good evening.

Billiards. Beautiful things. The pleasure of good company.
Welcome to The Academy of Spherical Arts.

Explore the rooms Discover the menu ↗

A Toronto original 1991 — 2012

Discover the Academy

Photograph: Billiard Traveler · 2012

01 /

The spirit of the Academy

Some places
stay with you.

Tucked inside an old billiard factory in Toronto’s Liberty Village, a world of our own.

A snooker club and restaurant. An art-filled meeting place. A collection of beautiful old things, brought back to life. The Academy of Spherical Arts brings them together under one remarkable roof.

Come for a game on an antique table. Stay for dinner, a single malt, and the company. From a quiet evening for two to a room filled with celebration, make yourself at home.

Meet the man behind the Academy

Liberty Village, TorontoFour distinctive roomsA lifetime of memories

02 /

A world within four rooms

Rooms with character.

Each with a name, a history,
and a life of its own.

The original room · 1991

Where it all began

The Samuel
May Room

The Academy opened here in September 1991. Named for the pioneering Canadian billiard-table maker, the Samuel May Room brought antique tables back to the very building where billiard equipment had once been made.

Discover the room

01 / 04

The Academy’s other rooms were the John Brunswick Room and the Georges Chenier Room (added in the 1990s), and La Belle Époque (opened in 1999). Explore the original archive.

03 /

The art of a good evening

More than a game.

A love of craft. A generous table.
A reason to get together.

An antique billiard table in the Academy’s collection

The collection

A beautiful game

Antique billiard tables, carefully restored. The craftsmanship is part of the pleasure, whether you come to play or simply to admire.

Billiards & craftsmanship

The restaurant & bar

Good taste, in every sense

Long dinners, a remarkable whisky collection, and a bar designed by Rick himself. Hospitality is woven into the fabric of the place.

At the Academy’s table

A room at the Academy arranged for a gathering

The gatherings

Life happens here

Weddings and celebrations. Art on the walls, music in the rooms. An unusual setting for occasions that become treasured memories.

Celebrations & occasions

04 /

The years between

A place in
Toronto’s story.

From a former Brunswick billiard factory to one of Liberty Village’s gathering places. The Academy grew a room at a time.

1991
The doors open
In September, the Academy welcomes its first guests to the Samuel May Room.
1990s
A new chapter
The John Brunswick Room brings more space for billiards, dining, and art.
1990s
Room to grow
The intimate Georges Chenier Room becomes part of the Academy.
1999
La Belle Époque
Work begins on a fourth room, the Academy’s millennium project.
2012
An enduring memory
The Academy closes on December 31, after twenty-one years.

Read the history in the original words

Richard Barry Williams · 1945–2026

The man behind the Academy

Remembering
Rick.

Richard Barry Williams

November 9, 1945 — October 27, 2026

An artist’s eye. A collector’s heart.
A place to bring people together.

The Academy brought together so much of what Rick loved: art, music, beautiful furniture, and things made with care. He gave those things a home—and invited everyone in.

Restoring this small part of his world is a way of remembering him. His story continues through the people who knew him, and the memories they share.

Visit Rick’s memorial

An open door to another time

The Academy,
remembered.

Look around. Take your time. Original photographs, menus, and mementos bring the world of the Academy a little closer.

Explore the archive

The art ofa good evening.

Some places stay with you.

Rooms with character.

The Samuel May Room

More than a game.

A beautiful game

Good taste, in every sense

Life happens here

A place inToronto’s story.

The doors open

A new chapter

Room to grow

La Belle Époque

An enduring memory

Remembering Rick.