Public Notice

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.