Public Notice

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER O.18 AND

CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

55 SUDBURY STREET

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 55 Sudbury Street 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 property at 55 Sudbury Street is worthy of designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its 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

Located on the south side of Sudbury Street, at the junction with Dovercourt Road in the southern tip of the Little Portugal neighbourhood between Queen Street West and the city's main railway corridor, the property at 55 Sudbury Street comprises a two-storey office building that formerly contained the offices of the Diamond (later Dominion) Glass Company factory. The building was completed in several phases beginning with the first phase of construction in c. 1899-1900. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

Built in 1899-1900, the former Diamond (later Dominion) Glass Company office building at 55 Sudbury Street is valued its contribution to the activity of manufacturing in Toronto. Glass manufacturing existed on the site as early as 1894 and continued until 1970.  In 1913 the company was incorporated into the Dominion Glass Company Ltd. The company manufactured electrical, telegraph and telephone insulators as well as various bottles, tumblers, lamp chimneys and containers. By the 1960s it was reported to be the biggest glass manufacturing company in Canada. It has also been credited with producing some of the finest glass, especially before automation when glass products were still blown. The company is further credited with contributing to Canadian decorative arts and its products are featured in public collections such as the Royal Ontario Museum. The property at 55 Sudbury Street contains one of the few remaining historical factory-complex buildings in the area, and provides a physical link to the important social, cultural and economic aspects of manufacturing history in the area and the broader city.  

By the mid-1880s, manufacturing industries dominated the lands on both sides of the railway corridor in the vicinity of 55 Sudbury Street. To the west was the John Abell Company factory (later American- Abell Engine & Thrasher Co.); and to the north was the Standard Soap Company, in addition to other Glass Company buildings. To the east was the Dominion Bridge Company factory (later Northey Manufacturing Company, engine manufacturers) and beyond that was the massive Massey-Harris Company factory, makers of farm implements, established in the area since 1879. The industrial and manufacturing buildings historically comprising the swath of land lining the railway corridor defined the industrial character of the vicinity into the early 2000s but have subsequently been redeveloped. Accordingly, 55 Sudbury Street is a rare surviving component of the area's industrial heritage. It is the last known building in the vicinity north of the railway corridor between Dufferin and Massey streets to yield information about this former industrial history of the area, including the socio-economic history.

Stylistically, the building is valued  for its combination of largely Romanesque Revival architecture, which was contemporary with the era, alongside earlier Italianate style influences. Romanesque Revival-style features include the main entrance arch with multiple receding reveals and contrasting masonry finishes of light stone with darker brick, as well as the rough-dressed stone finishes, bands of brickwork dentils and deeply inset segmental-arch windows. The distinctive window hoods, executed in shaped brick, are stylistic holdovers of the earlier Italianate style.

The building at 55 Sudbury Street was first constructed in 1899-1900 as a one-storey office building with basement. From the slightly differentiated brick colour and seams, it is evident that at least four subsequent expansion campaigns occurred to produce the building that currently exists. Despite numerous extensions and additions, and the differentiation in the shade of brickwork, the building is remarkably unified with similar detailing serving to tie the design together. Finishes uniting the composition include a rough dressed stone foundation and window sill detailing, segmental window openings, ornamented window heads, bands of dentil brickwork, and a simple sheet-metal cornice.

The extant physical and historical link of proximity to the city's main railway corridor continues to tie the property to its context. The building is situated on the southern edge of the Queen Street West neighbourhood and adjacent to (north of) the main railway corridor running through Toronto. The locational relationship was integral to operations with a rail spur entering the site from the rail corridor. The railway brought raw materials to the site and transported finished products across the Dominion. 

The jog in Sudbury Street at the junction with Dovercourt Road provides the building prominence and heightened visibility. This locational prominence combined with its historic architecture amidst so much new development makes it stand out as a distinctive local landmark. 

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the design and physical value of the property:

• the two-storey, rectangular form with chamfered front corners
• the flat roof with its sheet-metal roofline cornice  
• the red-brick exterior walls and brick detailing comprising bands of brickwork dentils and Italianate-style window hoods
• the stone detailing of the foundation, window sills and mullions, and main entrance arch finishes
• the arrangement and type of window openings including segmental arched the main entrance with semi-circular arch opening and transom light 

Historical and Associative Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the historical and associative value of the property:

• the location and siting of the property, adjacent to the city's main railway corridor

Contextual Value

The following heritage attributes contribute to the contextual value of the property:

• the placement, setback and orientation of the property, adjacent to the city's main railway corridor
• the physical and visual prominence of the property in its location at the junction of Dovercourt Road and Sudbury Street

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 August 4, 2026, which is September 3, 2026. 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=2026.PH32.16.