The Manufacturers Building at 312 Adelaide Street West, is on the northwest corner of Widmer and Adelaide Streets. It was constructed for David Garfinkel in 1927, during a decade when the city was building many loft-style, open-concept warehouses. Designed in the Art Deco style, it is similar to other warehouse buildings from the 1920s, located on Spadina Avenue between Adelaide and Richmond Streets West. The architects of the Manufacturers Building were Baldwin and Greene, who also designed the Concourse and Victory Buildings, as well as over thirty other commercial and residential buildings in Toronto.
The Manufacturers Building has plain facades on the north and west sides. It contains spacious windows to allow copious daylight into the interior. The eight-storey building was originally designed with floors that were open concept, so were adaptable to accommodate the requirements of the various occupants who rented space within. The roof is flat, without a tower, with a relatively unadorned cornice, although there are brick patterns below the cornice that are not readily visible from the street below due to the height of the structure.
The building is today a desirable location for offices. Maintaining heritage buildings adds to the character and attractiveness of the city, and the Manufacturers Building is an excellent example of this concept.
View gazing west along Adelaide Street, toward the Manufacturers Building.
The south facade of the Manufacturers Building, gazing east along Adelaide Street.
Brick patterns below the cornice on the southwest corner of the building. The original windows have been replaced.
Doorway of the Manufacturers Building on Adelaide Street West.
Staircase in the lobby of the Manufacturers Building
The symmetrical design of the south facade, photo taken in 2013.
To view the Home Page for this blog: https://tayloronhistory.com/
To view links to other posts placed on this blog about the history of Toronto and its buildings:
https://tayloronhistory.com/2013/10/08/links-to-historic-architecture-of-torontotayloronhistory-com/
To view previous blogs about old movie houses of Toronto—historic and modern
https://tayloronhistory.com/2013/10/09/links-to-toronto-old-movie-housestayloronhistory-com/
Recent publication entitled “Toronto’s Theatres and the Golden Age of the Silver Screen,” by the author of this blog. The publication explores 50 of Toronto’s old theatres and contains over 80 archival photographs of the facades, marquees and interiors of the theatres. It also relates anecdotes and stories from those who experienced these grand old movie houses.
To place an order for this book:
