IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT
R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND
CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
54 AND 66 FRASER AVENUE
(INCLUDING ENTRANCE ADDRESSES 58,
60, 62 AND 64 FRASER AVENUE)
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE
THE PROPERTY
TAKE NOTICE that Council for the
City of Toronto intends to designate the property, including the lands, buildings
and structures thereon known municipally as 54 and 66 Fraser Avenue (including
entrance addresses 58, 60, 62 and 64 Fraser Avenue) under Part IV, Section 29
of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18, as amended, as a property of
cultural heritage value or interest.
Reasons for Designation
The properties at 54 and 66 Fraser Avenue
(including the entrance addresses of 58, 60, 62 and 64 Fraser Avenue) are
worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for
their cultural heritage value and meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the provincial
criteria prescribed for municipal designation under the categories of
design/physical, historical/associative, and contextual value.
Description
The properties at 54 and 66 Fraser Avenue (the
former Arlington Company Factory) are located on the east side of Fraser
Avenue, south of Liberty Street in the Liberty Village neighbourhood. The
building, first constructed in 1905, is mostly one storey in height and is
finished in red brick and limestone, displaying restrained classical architectural
detailing. The building is "U-shaped", forming a courtyard, with an
extension south along Fraser Avenue. The
properties are adjacent to the former, c. 1906-09, S.F. Bowser Company Factory
to the north at the corner of Fraser Avenue and Liberty Street.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The former Arlington Company of Canada Factory,
dating from 1905, has design and physical value for being representative of a
factory complex typology of the period. Typical of factory complexes, the site
consisted of specialized and distinct sections of the building based on
purpose. The factory contained distinct use areas for a stock room, a box room
and a show room, offices, and separate manufacturing area for both collars and
combs. By 1910, additions had occurred
to the complex to create a "U" shaped building; in c. 1910-13 a
one-storey, receiving room extension was added to the south end of the Fraser
Avenue façade.
Like the majority of industrial buildings in the
Liberty Village area, the site buildings were constructed of red brick with a
focus on utility and function rather than ornament. While the street facing
facades on Fraser Avenue feature classical detailing - most notably with the
window voussoirs and tapered pilaster-type piers - most aspects of the complex
are functional in design and appearance. Limestone detailing with a tooled
finish distinguish the quality of the building.
The properties at 54 and 66 Fraser Avenue has
historical and associative value for being directly associated with the
industrial use activity which historically defined the Liberty Village area
throughout most of the Twentieth century. For its first 15 years, from 1906 -
1921, the complex served the Arlington Company of Canada and was the
manufacturing location for collars and combs. In 1921, the adjoining S.F.
Bowser Company, which manufactured oil tanks and cans, expanded their
operations to subsume the former Arlington Company factory, remaining at the
location until the early 1950s. In subsequent decades, light industry occupied
the site, including the manufacturing of bedding and work clothing, the sale of
paper products and upholstering and woodwork.
The Liberty Village area is defined by its
historic industrial use and its associated extant warehouse buildings and
complexes. The former Arlington Company of Canada Factory occupies a central
location of this precinct and helps to form a concentration of former, historic
industrial buildings. This concentration comprises adjacent sites designed
under the Ontario Heritage Act including the former Toronto Carpet Factory
complex at 1179 King Street (built out between 1898-1924), and the former
Gillett Company factory (built in phases 1911-42) at Fraser Avenue and Liberty
Street; adjacent properties listed on Toronto's Heritage Register include the
1906-09 S.F Bowser Company Factory at 68 Fraser Avenue and the c. 1913-14 S.F.
Bowser Company building at 39 Mowat Avenue. The form, scale, materials and
building typology of the former Arlington Company Factory at 54 and 66 Fraser
Avenue contributes to define, maintain and support the character of the area.
Heritage Attributes
Design and Physical Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the design and physical value of the
properties:
·
The form, scale and
massing of the building comprising a "U-shaped" plan forming a
courtyard, with one-storey south extension along Fraser Avenue; the one-storey
height with a two-storey south wing on Fraser Avenue; and flat-roof form
·
The red-brick
cladding with the tooled limestone detailing
·
The fenestration; and
the wooden, multi-part window assemblies and multi-pane wooden-sash windows
·
The doorway openings
on the Fraser Avenue facades and their solid and glazed wood-panel doors;
doorway openings facing the courtyard
Historical and Associative Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the historical and associative value of the
properties:
·
The industrial
character of the property as found in its design and physical heritage
attributes
·
The presence and
location of the property adjoining the former S.F. Bowser building at 68 Fraser
Avenue which it shares integral and direct historical association with
Contextual Value
The following heritage attributes contribute to
the contextual value of the
properties:
·
The building's
presence in Liberty Village which contributes to the concentration of other
industrial heritage buildings in the area
Notice of Objection to the Notice of Intention to Designate
Notice of an objection to the Notice of
Intention to Designate the Property may be served on the City Clerk, Attention:
Registrar Secretariat, City Clerk's Office, Toronto City Hall, 2nd Floor West,
100 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2.; Email: RegistrarCCO@toronto.ca within thirty (30) days
of November 17, 2025, which is December 17, 2025. The notice of objection to
the Notice of Intention to Designate the Property must set out the reason(s)
for the objection and all relevant facts.
Getting Additional Information:
Further information in respect of the Notice of
Intention to Designate the Property is available from the City of Toronto at:
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.PH25.14.
Dated at the City of Toronto on November 17, 2025.
John D. Elvidge
City Clerk