19th-century factories that made Toronto
A nostalgic look back at some of the industries that once kept the city’s factories humming.

thestar.com
May 16, 2016
By Geoffrey Vendeville

Nineteenth-century industrialists set up shop in all corners of what is now Toronto. Their workers churned out all sorts of items, from beer and bricks to bikes. At the same time, they laid the foundation for the bustling city Toronto is today. The Star spoke to authors, historians and one whisky connoisseur about a few of the factories that made this city.

The Gooderham and Worts Distillery

Location: 55 Mill St.

The Distillery District owes its name and more to James Worts and William Gooderham. The brothers-in-law opened a windmill and made flour before producing whisky with their surplus grain. After their children took over, the distillery became one of the largest in the British Empire.

Once upon a time, it was one of the biggest employers and taxpayers in the city of York (now Toronto), said Davin de Kergommeaux, author of Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert. “Not only did it finance a lot of the early development of the city, but it encouraged and supported other manufacturing enterprise, helping the city of York and Toronto develop the critical mass to become a major metropolis.” Gooderham and Worts finally ceased operations in 1990, according to the Distillery District website.

The Don Valley Brick Works

Location: 550 Bayview Ave.

Massey Hall, the Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park and other city landmarks were built with bricks from the kilns in the Don Valley Brick Works.

“Their bricks were considered to be of very high quality, and architects often specified that they be used in churches and office buildings as well as prestigious homes, like Casa Loma,” said Ed Freeman, a retired provincial geologist who gives tours of the site.

The brick factory closed after about a century in operation (1889-1984) and fell into disrepair. The environmental organization Evergreen restored the site and opened a “community environmental centre” there in 2010.

The Dominion Brewery

Location: 468 Queen St. E.

Robert Davies operated another brewery with his brother Thomas under the name Thomas Davies and Bro. before blazing his own path by opening The Dominion. It operated from 1878 to 1936. Robert was fiercely competitive and determined to make the best beer in the world, said Jordan St. John, author of The Lost Breweries of Toronto. In 1885, Davies succeeded. His IPA won a gold medal at an international exhibition, even beating Bass. How did his famous ale taste? “A slightly hop forward pale ale in the English tradition,” not unlike Worthington White Shield, according to St. John.

The Canada Cycle & Motor Company Plant

Location: Original CCM plant was at 207 Weston Rd.; later moved to 2015 Lawrence Ave. W.

CCM arose in 1899 from a merger of Canadian bike makers under Walter Massey, of the famed manufacturing family. He started making bicycles at the height of the bike craze, the end of the 19th century. “The bikes weren’t as fancy as the American bikes...but they were good solid bikes, and the company sold literally millions over the years,” said John McKenty, author of Canada Cycle & Motor: The CCM Story. “Most youngsters in Canada who grew up through the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s grew up with CCM bikes and skates.”

In the winter, CCM kept workers busy making skates out of scrap steel. They also dabbled in car production but phased it out in 1915 because the Ford Motor Co. could do it more cheaply. The plant closed in 1983.

The Patterson Candy Company

Location: 955 Queen St. W.

The name of the Chocolate Company Lofts condos is an allusion to the building’s past life as the Patterson Candy Company plant. Now all but forgotten, the candy factory once had 220 employees and was “one of Canada’s oldest confectionery manufacturing concerns,” according to a Toronto Daily Star article from 1947. The Patterson Candy Company was established in 1888, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.

The Irwin Toy Company

Location: 43 Hanna Ave.

The Irwin Toy company once made all kinds of goodies for kids, from Hula Hoops and Slinkies (in its earlier years) to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (much later). Their plant in Liberty Village was a paper mill in the 1800s before Samuel B. Irwin took over. The business was sold to outsiders in 2000 and went belly-up 18 months later, a victim of globalization and the trend toward electronic toys and games.

Under Lanterra Developments, the building was reincarnated as a condominium, the Toy Factory Lofts.