… Wrigley’s.
That’s right. The gum people.
I have visited many old buildings in the Toronto area and am learning a considerable amount of my adopted city’s history, but this was my first foray into a former industrial area.
It was quite by accident. I didn’t know these old factories were even there – in Leslieville – on the east end of the city.
One of those old factories was the Wm Wrigley Jr Company.
The first plant opened outside of the US by Wrigley’s started operations in Toronto in a small rented factory in 1909. With business booming, they built this 4-storey factory in 1916, but as demand continued to grow , an identical second tower was added in 1919, with a walkway between the two buildings.
In 1918, while the second tower was still under construction, a private fire hall was built on the street behind the factory.
The ‘large’ door bay was built to accommodate a team of horses and the fire truck.
An interesting little tidbit I discovered was that chewing gum was advertised as a health product, promoting good digestion, clean teeth, and a clear head. When World War II broke out, Wrigley sold all its gum production to the military, asking the public to remember them when the war ended.
The Leslieville factory was operated by Wrigley’s until 1963 when the operation was moved into a newer, modern facility mid-city.
Coincidence or not, they moved their production from Leslieville to Leslie Street and I passed their ‘new’ facility every day for years, going to and from work. Sadly, Wrigley ended production in Toronto in 2016.
The old Wrigley Building in Leslieville was converted into condo lofts in 1998. The units were sold as “raw space” for about $100 a square foot, so each unit was developed uniquely by the new owner. It is now a mixed use space comprised of both residential units and work studios.
This post is part of Thursday Doors, a weekly photo feature hosted by Norm Frampton at Norm 2.0.
[…] because Joanne also wrote about a different Wrigley building, on two different occasions, here and […]
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[…] in a row, I’m doing a Thursday Doors sequel. This time I’m taking you back to the WM Wrigley Jr building I featured at the end of […]
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Hi Joanne! Thanks for the post. I work at Wave (waveapps.com), and we occupy the 5th and 6th floors of the south Wrigley building (#235). We’ve been sharing your post around the office, learning about the buildings we’ve called home for almost 7 years. I’d be happy to show you around our offices if you want to see the interior. (Here’s one angle, with our main space set up “theatre style”: https://twitter.com/WaveHQ/status/845019299962146818 )
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One more bit of history for you, though I only know it anecdotally: The two buildings were initially only 5 stories high, but (I was told) Wrigley decided they wanted some executive offices on site; so they built an extra “pod” on the roof of the south building. That 6th floor has a different look and feel from the rest of the building, and doesn’t occupy the full footprint of the building either, which makes for a great Wave patio looking toward the downtown skyline.
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That is SO nice of you!! Of course I would love to take you up on your offer!!
Virtually all the information I found about the Wrigley Building came from https://leslievillehistory.com/carlaw-avenue-the-wrigley-building/
There is a lot of information in there if you are interested. I did not know about the 6th floor addition.
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Drop me a note at info@waveapps.com and let’s work out the details for a visit!
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That’s interesting, Joanne. I always associate chewing gum with North Americans… certainly my Canadian family are fans, whereas I’ve never been keen. 🙂
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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when you really think about it, chewing gum is a little disgusting 🙂
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Nice “gumshoeing” to find this old factory! Quite a large factory operation to make chewing gum but there must be millions of people addicted to chewing gum. Nice find and post, Joanne! I seem to recall that there is a place in Portland Oregon that people stick their used chewing gum on the outside building’s wall. 😐
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I know the wall you’re talking about. A few bloggers have taken photos of it over the past couple of years. It’s rather fascinating in a vaguely disgusting kind of way 😉
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I grew up with Wrigley’s! Actually Finnish gum is still a health product. It contains Xylitol which prevents tooth decay and ear infections on small children!
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Really? That’s interesting. I don’t even remember when I first allowed my boys to have chewing gum. For some reason, I don’t remember it being something they really cared about – at least until their teens.
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In Finland kids in kindergarten are given gum or Xylitol pastilles after meals – even one year olds 🙂
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Interesting. I guess if you find something that kids will easily adopt, the success rate will be high.
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Fascinating! Especially the part about gum being a health product. Too funny.
Gorgeous building. I have to say I have a weak spot for industrial area with old warehouses and interesting architecture. The doors are great. Good explorations Joanne. Thanks for sharing.
Peta
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Thanks Peta. I’m new to the idea of looking at industrial buildings as interesting and even beautiful. I’m quickly catching on though 🙂
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Thanks for this fascinating post Joanne. So much history inside those old buildings.
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That there is! I’m loving the process of discovery 🙂
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These buildings are terrific. They very much remind me of buildings in Manchester, UK. I wish that we would not leave the so: although times have changed. Brilliant, thank you!
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Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
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Wow, that is quite an informative post. I loved on that gum as a child (now chew sugar free). Great pictures. I wonder how I would design my apartment.
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I gave up gum a long time ago, but I agree it would be interesting to design a space. … but I’m not sure I have the vision and talent to do that!
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I think we all would be challenged, but it would be fun.
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That building has a ton of character!
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That is does 🙂
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Wow: a suburb named after my family! Nice photos and a great piece of social history. I love the idea that the space was sold in such a way as to allow buyers to develop it themselves. 🙂
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A suburb AND a street 🙂
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🙂
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The “new” building on Leslie street is now gone I think. The older one outlasted the new.
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Yeah – I had the same thought. I was sad to see the Wrigley’s plant gone with their large colourful signs in the windows.
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Door 87… cool. I can’t think about Wrigley without thinking about Juicy Fruit gum. The nuns always caught me with it just chewing and snipping away!
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Juicy Fruit!! Does it get any better?!!
… and I’m a snapper too. At least, I used to be, when I could chew gum.
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Yeah, I can’t chew it anymore either… I miss it. So now I just suck on Hershey’s Kisses… 😀
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Oooooh – chocolate is my kryptonite.
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Wonder if any of that great Wrigley smell still lingers in those condo walls – it was always so distinctive. Fun history to this building and nice that it lives on.
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Oh, interesting. I hadn’t thought of that.
I used to work near a Peak Freans cookie factory. When they were baking maple cookies, the smell in the air was thick and sweet. It was comforting in the winter, but seemed to almost cling to your clothes in the summer.
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Door 87 looks like it could lead to somewhere very creepy. If this were a movie set, of course. Didn’t know about the Wrigley company’s war effort. Interesting.
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I don’t know if this was just a Canadian initiative or if it applied to all of Wrigley’s. Since the Canadian market would have been so much smaller, I wouldn’t be surprised if it just applied to Canada.
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I love the old, weathered, broken bricks on the smoke stack, and the little glass windows in the firehouse doors.
What a wonderful piece of history this building tells. I’m so happy the building is being used for other purposes today.
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I love, love, love that smoke stack. I just knew I had to include it 🙂
Even better, it was gently smoking when I took that photo. Unfortunately you can’t see it because the skies were so gray.
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Ah, you make me wish I wrote this! One of my favourite buildings in the city! Fun fact: one of the floors was an Eaton’s operation.
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It was this building that resulted in me finding your blog 🙂
I had read that fun fact. There was so much material about the building and the company .. all of it interesting!
I’m sure you would write a great blog post about it. Hint 🙂
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Yes! The smokestack was cool!
I’d guess the Wrigley’s would have some connections in Chicago, considering where the Cubs play is Wrigley Field. 😊
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Yes, I believe Chicago was (still is?) where the Mothership is located. William Jr was an interesting character. I think he may have been one of the earliest adopters of modern advertising – “Tell ’em quick. Tell ’em often.” is a quote attributed to him.
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Cool history, Joanne. Good for clearing the head! Ha ha.
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hehehe!! It’s funny what early advertisers thought they could say about their products 🙂
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I suppose that minty freshness could clear the head. I ate it as a kid because it was candy!!
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I would love to walk through those doors to go home to my loft apartment! I like that so many older building are repurposed into housing. To live in one is a dream of mine…..
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Me too! I swooned at the thought of 13.5 ft ceilings! That sense of space and all that light!! Siiiiiigh.
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Great photos and a nice bit of history. Some days I think I’d love to live in an old factory. I think if I did, I’d like buying the raw space. so much potential.
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Every time I venture downtown on one of my excursions, I wish I lived in the heart of the city instead of in the ‘burbs.
Every time I get out on a nature trail, I wish I lived out in the countryside instead of the city.
I think I’m inclined to always lust for that which I don’t have!
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As long as you keep memories of both, I think you’re OK.
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How interesting – I’ve gone by that way many times but never knew the history! Another area you might find interesting if you haven’t been there as yet is Liberty Village – King Street – just west of Shaw/Ossington area. There is an overabundance of new condos there but there are also a lot of older industrial buildings that have been converted to many new uses. A number of radio stations also use the various buildings and Zoomer TV has the Television Museum on site.
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Thanks for the bit, Margie. You’re right … I haven’t really been through the Liberty Village area. There is just so much to see and do in this city of ours!!
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I love hearing about the history of your buildings. It would be lovely to see inside one of those conversions. As for chewing gum, I loathe it and especially the mess it makes of footpaths when people simply spit it out.
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Even worse, is in the summer when the concrete gets hot and gum stays sticky . It’s an awful mess when it gets on your shoes and bike tires!
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Oh yes!
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I love apartments converted from old commercial spaces…these spaces here must be fabulous. Having lived in Brooklyn, lots of living spaces were converted from old churches, fire stations, and factories. Soaring ceilings, wood floors, huge windows. Love this post, Joanne…so fun!
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The uniqueness of the space is what would appeal to me … including the soaring ceilings!! A converted church would be a dream come true!!
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I really like old industrial buildings.This one looks like a good place to live. Many Hosiery factories in my hometown are being converted into apartments. :>)
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I much prefer old buildings being converted into condos than the construction of the unmemorable concrete towers that seem to predominate now.
These old factory buildings are particularly coveted because of their high ceilings. I live in a cookie-cutter house built in the 70s. I would LOVE to have an old home with high vaulted ceilings!!
You have featured a few of those former hosiery buildings. It is sad to see the death of manufacturing, but so nice to hear those buildings are given a new life.
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:>) not heard the term cookie cutter house before, but I get the picture. My house was built in 1929 and is the newest house I’ve ever owned. My favourite house type is the Victorian villa, sadly they fetch a high price if you want one in a good area.
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Sigh … what I want and what I can afford are 2 very different things
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I used to always carry Wrigleys chewing gum in my pocket, just in case I feel hungry or just want a cool minty flavor in my mouth. Thanks to you I got to see and learn more about a brand I used to consume. Now I don’t consume much chewing gum because I don’t have many teeth to chew. Great images and brilliantly written.
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Like you, I used to love chewing gum, but am no longer able. I have jaw issues and chewing gum is a big no-no.
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I sometimes buy chewing gum especially when the store guy doesn’t have change and I need to buy something to round up the total.
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oooo – I’ve never encountered that problem. Given my sweet tooth, I’d probably go with a chocolate bar instead 😉
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Great doors and a superb old building!
William Wrigley Jr. was a big deal on the west coast of Southern California too. He bought acreage and invested millions on Santa Catalina Island (which sits about 20 miles west of L.A.) in 1919 – even making it the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs (which he also owned… Wrigley Field, and all 🙂 ). I think his decedents still have a large stake in the island. Your post reminds me that I’ve been wanting to visit Catalina Island again.
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Nice tie-in post! I think you should definitely go!
I knew nothing about Wrigley’s before I did some research for this building. It sounds like Jr was a bit of a character 🙂
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A firehall! What were the chances?
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hehehe … those little beauties just keep popping up everywhere 🙂
Finding this one however was a complete accident. I discovered it while researching the plant and I made a second trip back to the area to find it on the next block.
My unanswered question is – what is it used for now? It is surrounded by homes, yet it clearly wasn’t a residence.
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I, too, would love to have a peek inside a couple of the units. If you ever score an invitation…or find another way to snag us a few pics…that would be much appreciated!
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I went so far as to check online real estate listings to see if any were currently on the market. Alas – no.
These lofts sound like they would be coveted properties – 13.5 ft ceilings, the huge industrial windows, polished concrete – lots and lots of potential!
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When I lived in Chicago we always called the baseball field “Wiggles” – well, it did kind of wiggle being an old wooden stadium!
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Jan, you made me laugh out loud 😀
Wiggles is just one of those happy words that induces a smile. It makes me think of babies and puppies. Now you’ve tossed in an old wooden stadium! 🙂
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I probably paid for half of the building. I chewed gum all the time when I was a teenager. Wrigley’s was my favorite. It was my favorite disguise to hide my smoking breath when I was in school. There should be my name on one of the wings, or the name of the boarding school I went.
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lol! Once upon a time I was a smoker too – it was short-lived though. Mostly I was a toker and like you, always had gum. Of course, now we know there is no disguising the smell that clings to our clothes, skin, and hair. We were in denial
My gum chewing days are long over. I have a *fragile* jaw and I’m actually a candidate for jaw replacement surgery. Yes – it is a thing. I don’t have *normal* problems 😉
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“I don’t have normal problems.” Laughter here
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Yes – I admit I burst out laughing too when the specialist said that about my jaw. *Normal* people need new hips and knees … no, nothing *normal* like that for me 😉
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Interesting…as a sugar gum, I don’t think Wrigley’s could truly say it promotes any of those things. Can you imagine the backlash if they tried to use that kind of advertising campaign in today’s society?
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I know! It’s rather shocking some of the claims made by companies in the past.
I wish I could say we have better ethics now, but that would be a stretch … as we know with all the ‘spinning’ that companies and governments do to hide their sins
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Great shots Joanne and I would love to live in an old converted factory ! All the ghost must be constantly saying ” Doublemint, its two mints in one” 🙂
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LOL!! Reminds me of the old commercials done with identical twins 😀
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LOL- twins-from-The-Shining.jpg
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OOPS – Here is a link – https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/blogs/celeb-news/see-shining-twins-grown-000357375.html
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I love seeing before and after photos. Thanks 🙂
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gah! Maybe not!
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Very interesting Joanne. Wouldn’t it be fun to take a peek at how owners utilized & designed the space inside those buildings when they were converted to living spaces!
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I had the same thought. I even went to look at online real estate listings to see if there was one for sale so I could go have a peek. Needless to say, there weren’t any 😦
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The firehouse door is my fave as well. I guess it should come as no surprise that a Chicago-based company would want their own private on-site firehouse, or do you think this was a standard practice for companies in general back then?
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Since this was my first time investigating an industrial area, I really don’t know if it was typical or it. My thought was that these factories may have been a bit *remote* at the time and its own firehall was a prudent measure.
At any rate, it is such a cute little building. I wish I knew how it is currently being used – and who owns it. It’s surrounded by homes, but clearly not being used as a residence – nor does it have a Heritage Building plaque on it. Now that I think about it, that seems rather unusual.
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Good shots. Thanks for giving us something to “chew on.” 😀
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Good one! I actually thought of variations of that for a post title before I veered in another direction 😀
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Good show 🙂 I love 87 and the photo of that entire side. Love it. And look at that smokestack!
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I LOVE that smokestack!
When I saw it, I just knew I had to include it … and it apparently is still functioning because there was smoke coming out of it … you can’t tell because of the gray skies. It was really cold out the day I took that photo and so I’m not surprised that furnaces were operating.
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🙂
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