The Hard Loft Conversions of Carlaw Ave

The history of Carlaw Ave is one tied inextricably to that of the red brick factories that line the space between Gerrard and Queen Street. Carlaw features 4 hard loft conversions, each with their own storied past, making it one of the densest areas in Toronto for conversions. Today we want to take a look at these unique properties, their history, and what makes them so special.

As we’ve discussed previously, Leslieville is a historically industrial area. Only recently has it been transformed into the chic, gentrified and quirky neighbourhood we live in today. From the farms of early settling days to the brickworks and tanneries to the factories that make up the lofts in question, Leslieville has always provided utility and employment to those just outside of downtown Toronto.

The four buildings we will be looking at are hard loft conversions. The term “loft” gets thrown around a lot these days, being applied to any condo development with concrete high ceilings. Hard lofts are past factories that have been converted to residential space, rather than a new build, or being converted to modern commercial space. 

The four buildings were will be looking at today are: 

The Wrigley Lofts at 245 Carlaw Ave

Garment Factory Lofts at 233 Carlaw Ave

I-Zone Lofts at 312, 326 Carlaw Ave, 1159-1173 Dundas St E

Printing Factory Lofts at 201 Carlaw Ave

In the 1900s, many factories were being built along Carlaw and Eastern Ave thanks to the Niagara Parks Commission. This group built a hydro-electric generating station on the Niagara which could power Leslieville’s factories. Let’s take a look at the unique history of these buildings, as well as how they exist in Leslieville today.

The Wrigley Lofts

Today, the Wrigley lofts feature huge, open concept spaces with 16 ft concrete ceilings, floors and columns. The columns come both mushroom-shaped and fluted depending on the space. Massive warehouse windows light up the spacious units. Many have mezzanine bedrooms. Surface parking is available, but keeping with the more classic exterior, there are no balconies.

Let’s find out how they got here from where they started.

Timeline

1914, contracts for land purchase are made for a building on Carlaw and excavations on the site begin. They planned for a 3-storey gum factory as the demand for gum rose in WW1. At this time, gum was advertised as healthy, and was included in care packages to soldiers. The new plant was modelled after the Wrigley company’s mother plant in Chicago.

1916, the building is completed. It features a Beaux Art style, echoing the plant in Chicago. It was hard to find labourers during the war, but Wrigley’s was able to function, attracting workers by paying more than the average job of the time. The company contributed to the war effort by supporting Canadian War Bonds and the Patriotic Fund. 

1918 Wrigley built a private fire hall at 87 Boston Ave to service the factory. 

1919, A new plant was built North of the existing building, and a skywalk was built to bridge the two. At this time, the country is going through labour unrest: returning soldiers came home to high employment and a housing shortage. Gum sales fell at this time.

1921, Wrigley begins to rent space out to other manufacturers.

1925, Gum sales begin to pick up again as the economy does.

1931, William Wrigley Jr made a fantastic move to stabilize the economy by using gum sale profits to purchase Canadian wheat.

1946, After the 2nd World War, Wrigley sold its gum production to the military and again sent their gum as a standard item in Red Cross parcels sent to prisoners of war.

1963, Wrigley needed more room to expand and modernize, and Wrigley Canada finally moved to a new plant on Leslie St., north of Eglinton.

1998, The Wrigley building is converted into condo lofts. It opened with 79 units ranging from 300 to 3000 sqft. These large units were very desirable. They even sold “raw space” in the building for its new owners to buy up and build what they wanted within it.

2012, The Wrigley building is named a designated landmark.

2016, Going back to Wrigley, this year they closed their plant on Leslie St. Many former workers spoke highly of working for the company and its owner.

Current Day Units in the Wrigley lofts are in very high demand. These “true New York” lofts have skyrocketed in value as gentrification has raised the price of surrounding real estate. In 2015, average selling prices for the building were around $500/sqft, which has doubled to $1000/sqft today. The raw space units that made up much of the lower floor sales have created incredibly unique spaces with a variety of styles.

The Garment Factory

This approximately 60 year old building was converted by Atria development in 2008. This truly striking building’s first 4 floors are a hard loft conversion, and the new top 4 are soft loft addition. The 150 suites range from 450 to 1300 sqft. Carry-overs from the conversion include concrete floors, columns and ceilings and large warehouse windows.

Timeline

1950-1953, Somewhere in this time frame, the Garment Factory building was constructed.

1960, Wilfred Polsuns, a grandson of a Polish tailor who travelled to Canada in the early 1900s, ran a textile company in Canada. He made a deal with Jimmy Kay from Winnipeg, creating the company Dylex, which absorbed the Polsuns’ company and existing Kay’s Fairweather stores. Dylex set up factory space in the new building on Carlaw.

1970s, Dylex bought controlling shares of clothing chains across the country but remained fairly hands off. Eventually they owned 2,700 stores across North America. 

1987, from 12% of the country’s clothing earnings, the size of Dylex’s network started to put strain on the financial structure, failing to produce the massive profits that would sustain it.

1995, Dylex seeks bankruptcy protection as its stock plummets. Polsun left the company for another venture.

2001, Dylex sold off the remainder of its assets, including the Garment Factory building. 

2008, The conversion by Atria Development takes place. They added 4 new residential floors to the existing structure, and 3 levels of parking beneath.

The new revamped Garment Factory building includes the amenities of visitor parking, hobby room, a small gym, and security. The building includes both hard and soft lofts, as four new floors were added to the initial factory build. The contemporary additions use glass, steel, and brick to create a modern flair while still keeping the original historic brickwork flavour. 

The IZone Lofts

So large it has 3 addresses, this conglomeration of lofts was built in multiple phases of construction. The IZone lofts were previously an industrial manufacturing facility which then converted into commercial rental, and finally into lofts. The available lofts range for 500 to 3000 sqft. An almost imposing industrial interior full of wide hallways and steel create a unique space between units.

Timeline

1906, The Cobban Manufacturing Company is a factory making framing materials. Its owner purchased the empty lot on the west side of Carlaw.

1907, Construction began by architect E.J. Lennox.

1932, After being one of the largest employers in the old east end of Toronto, Cobban Manufacturing (then Phillips Toronto Ltd) was sold to the Reliable Toy Company, which made novelty toys and small plushies.

1935, Reliable Toy Company became the largest factory in Canada on Carlaw.

1940, Reliable used scraps of plastic left over from war-time manufacturing to make Canada’s first plastic toys, putting them ahead of much of the plastic industry.

Other prestigious companies in the building include Crown Cork and Seal (founded by the inventor of the bottle cap and opener,) the British paint supply company Sturgeon’s, and Pratt Food Co.

IZone includes unique lofts with balconies on the upper-most level and amenities include a party room, rooftop deck, visitor parking, meeting room, and security guard.

The Printing Factory

As one could guess for the name, this conversion once housed printing presses. They were converted into lofts in 2014 by Beaverbrook. The original 3 storey structure was added to with an 8 storey glass tower. The contrast of the two elements is striking. The original unique “sawtooth” skylight design is incorporated into the 2nd storey units to amazing effect. A professional restoration was done to the façade and entrance portico. Like other conversions, these units include concrete floors and exposed concrete ceilings. The building includes many multiple bedroom lofts, and also new townhouses on Boston Ave.

Timeline 

1878, The Toronto Lithographing Co opened at 33 Wellington Street E, offering then-premium items like books, maps, posters, and other materials, featuring the leading edge of graphic design. The company moved a number of times in the following years and was eventually renamed Stone Ltd.

1912, Rolph and Clark Ltd purchased land that had previously been a brickyard seized by the city of Toronto for not paying taxes.

1913, The building was commissioned by Toronto Lithography’s rival, Rolph, Smith and Co, which then merged with Stone Ltd. To form Rolph Clark Stone in 1917, which is the name painted over the door today (though faded). The company employed nearly 400 people.

2007, The building was included in the City of Toronto’s list of cultural heritage properties.

2014, The building’s façade was carefully restored, while a modern condo unit was built overtop, which famously preserved the unique sawtooth roof design for upper-floor units.

Though not many records are easy to find for the history of the printing presses themselves, in modern times, this conversion has won awards in architecture and design. Amenities include a fantastic courtyard space for the upper floors, underground parking, meeting room, concierge, security guard, and party room.

The hard loft conversions of Carlaw Avenue are a gorgeous addition to Leslieville’s housing supply, and a powerful reminder of what an impactful manufacturing hub this neighbourhood was. The transition to residential happened largely due to the 1929 stock market crash. While unemployment virtually disappeared during WW2, it was because many existing industries turned to war time production, and once the war was over, there was little use for these factory spaces. Also, those industries that flourished moved to larger locations, or abroad.

So, we get empty factory buildings ready for residential conversions.

In the future, we plan to cover similar soft-lofts and other constructions in the immediately Leslieville area. The history and flavour of our neighbourhood is exciting to discover and we hope you enjoyed learning the context behind these beautiful buildings we walk by every day. If you like them enough, you could also live in them, as well. 

Envision Realty specializes in local Leslieville real estate and we can help you find your dream home in a luxury loft. Feel free to contact us and we can help you stay on top of this very exclusive, fast paced market. If you’re looking to move out for a different atmosphere, we also specialize in dynamic marketing and getting the best price for your property to sell. Our office is right on Dundas and Carlaw in the heart of this gorgeous community.