The Toy Factory Lofts at 43 Hanna Ave have become a recognizable landmark in the centre of Liberty Village. The truth is it’s been a Liberty Village landmark since it was constructed in 1912 as a paper factory owned by Hinde and Dauch, Toronto’s largest paper manufacturers.
The paper factory sold the building to the Irwin family, who started one of Canada’s legendary toy companies in the building in 1940. The Irin Toy Factory became well-known for making some of the coolest toys around, including hula-hoops, Slinky, yo-yos, board games and action figures. The factory embraced it’s role as Canada’s leadingf toy factory for the next 50 years.
Fast forward another 15 or so years and the Liberty Village had become a hotbed for new companies with a modern and
artistic flare, including the likes of Adobe Systems, Tucows, Corus Entertainment and BMG Entertainment. Significant changes were in the air but nothing compared to what was soon to take place.
In 2004, Irwin Toys sold the factory building to Lanterra Developments, one of Toronto’s best known condo development companies. Plans were developed to refurbish the existing structure and add to it to create more space while respecting the original integrity of the building. The Toy Factory Lofts were set to become the final reincarnation of a building whose architectural authenticity makes it one of Liberty Village’s most desirable addresses.
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I was surprised to learn that Hinde and Dauch sold their property to Irwin Toys in 1940, because I worked in the paper mill during four summers until 1957. My father was Superintendant of Production until the mid-1960s, retiring early because of health reasons. My understanding is that the company was taken over by DOMTAR some time in the 1960s, and the equipment was distributed to various Domtar holdings in Canada, notably their plant in Windsor, Quebec. It was Domtar that sold the plant to the Irwin family, but I do not have the precise date since I had moved on to other pursuits away from Toronto.
If I’m not mistaken, toys were never manufactured in this building. It was a toy warehouse/distribution centre, not a factory.