Looking southwest towards the corner of Dundas St E and Ontario St, in the Cabbagetown South neighbourhood of Toronto.
The two-storey building was constructed in the late 1930s to serve as a lens factory for Imperial Optical. Designed by architect Benjamin Brown in the Art Deco style, it is a solid structure with floors that are over 12 inches thick to support the weight of the lens grinding equipment. In 1992, Imperial Optical went into receivership and vacated the building. Once Canada’s largest eyeglass retailer, Imperial Optical was founded in 1900 by Percy Hermant.
Within a few years, the old factory was converted into The Century Lofts. Developers preserved the building’s character and restored some of its original design, including reinstalling windows on the main floor that had been previously bricked over. The building features terrazzo floors, high ceilings, and mushroom columns, with some units showcasing exposed brick. It welcomed its first residents in the late 1990s (City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Planning Board fonds, Fonds 2032, Series 841, File 12, Item 26).
Then and Now
SOURCE
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jan 7, 1939, pg 5
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jun 19, 1993, pg A8
- Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Jun 13, 1998, pg P2
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
