Looking northeast along Lake Shore Blvd W and Fleet St (west of Bathurst St) in the Niagara neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the former Molson Brewery plant on Fleet St. The brewery opened in 1955 with great fanfare, marked by the release of 800 carrier pigeons that delivered the news of the plant’s opening to newspaper editors across Ontario. This facility was the company’s first located outside of Montreal. Among the attendees at the ceremony were five descendants of John Molson, the founder of the company, which was established in Montreal in 1786.
The six-storey structure cost $11 million to build and initially had the capacity to brew 300,000 barrels of beer each year. The plant closed in 1990. In the years that followed, it was used as a filming location for TV shows and movies. In 2007, the plant was demolished to make way for various condominium towers.
One constant in both photos is the Queen’s Wharf Lighthouse, also known as “Little Red.” It was built in 1861, served until 1911, and was originally located approximately 450 meters east, at the original foot of Bathurst St. In 1929, to save the lighthouse from demolition during lake filling, it was relocated using wooden rollers and moved to its current position.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Heritage Toronto plaque
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Aug 18, 1955, pg 5
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Feb 6, 1956, pg 27
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Jun 11, 1994, pg B1
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Jun 17, 2006, pg P11
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
