Formerly a police station, the Art Deco building, which houses the gallery, was developed by Artscape into live/work spaces for artists, offices for community groups and Gallery 1313. Artscape is a non-profit organization that manages artist studio properties.

PVAC (Parkdale Village Arts Collective) was formed on June 22, 1994 to initiate positive changes in the Parkdale community with the support of the Parkdale Village Business Improvement Association. The arts collective was incorporated as a non-profit organization in October 1997. It has grown over the years to include more than eighty members from the greater Toronto area and it has seven elected board members.

Gallery 1313 , an artist run center, opened its doors in January 1998. Gallery 1313 has shown a wide variety of contemporary art including painting, photography, video, performance and installation.

The Gallery receives over 9,000 visitors a year and has become a strong presence in the community.