Forest Hill Lofts
An Art Deco yarn mill built in 1930 and 1931 for Patons & Baldwins, makers of Beehive knitting yarn, which ran here until 1999; the stone bee still sits over the door. Converted by the Goldman Group's Stafford Homes in 2002 and 2003 into 137 lofts with 13½-foot ceilings, backing onto the Beltline Trail.
History of Forest Hill Lofts
The company behind it goes back to 18th-century Paisley, Scotland, where the Clark and Coats families built the world's biggest thread business; by the 1910s J. & P. Coats was one of the largest companies on earth. Its knitting-yarn arm, Patons & Baldwins, built this four-storey L-shaped mill on Roselawn in 1930 and 1931 as its Canadian headquarters, with a boiler house and a tall smokestack beside it.
Beehive yarn and pattern books were made here for almost 70 years. The mill was a major supplier to Eaton's and at its peak employed over 800 people, until Coats Patons wound down its far-flung plants and closed it in August 1999. The empty building became a favourite film set.
Murray Goldman had long admired the building, and his son Gary's Stafford Homes, part of the Goldman Group, converted it in 2002 and 2003. The outbuildings and smokestack came down and the grounds were landscaped, the walls were refaced in stucco with coloured tiles on the columns to suit the Art Deco design, and every system inside was replaced. The 137 lofts, up to about 1,100 square feet, keep the 13½-foot ceilings, big columns and 24-by-10-foot factory windows. The developer also helped the City extend the York Beltline Trail, the old 1892 Belt Line railway, west past Allen Road.
Forest Hill Lofts: quick facts
Where is Forest Hill Lofts?
Forest Hill Lofts is at 1001 Roselawn Avenue, Toronto, in Fairbank / Briar Hill.
When was Forest Hill Lofts built, and what was it originally?
It was built in 1931. An Art Deco yarn mill built in 1930 and 1931 for Patons & Baldwins, makers of Beehive knitting yarn, which ran here until 1999; the stone bee still sits over the door.
What kind of loft is Forest Hill Lofts?
Forest Hill Lofts is a hard loft: an older industrial or commercial building converted into homes, keeping features like brick, beams and big windows.
How many units are in Forest Hill Lofts?
Forest Hill Lofts has 137 units.
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