Oxford Lofts
The Oxford Picture Frame Company's factory on Markham Street, designed by Benjamin Swartz in 1927 and enlarged in 1930 and 1936. One of Bob Mitchell's earliest conversions, it became 16 multi-level lofts in 1986, with a new third storey, fireplaces in every unit and ceilings of 10 to 20 feet.
History of Oxford Lofts
Sam and Rose Cohen started a picture frame company in Toronto in 1917, said to have begun on Oxford Street; by 1925 the Oxford Picture Frame Co. was at 104 Claremont Street, with Sam Cohen living at 77 Markham. In 1927 they built a single-storey factory next door, then numbered 71 Markham, designed by Benjamin Swartz, the architect of the Kiever Synagogue on Bellevue Avenue and later Mount Sinai Hospital. It was enlarged in 1930 and 1936, and the company stayed until 1962, when it moved to Richmond Hill.
In 1986, four years after his first project at 41 Shanly, Bob Mitchell converted it as Oxford-on-Markham. He added a third storey, raising the parapet with salvaged brick, and dug underground parking for 19 cars.
The 16 lofts all have at least two levels, some three, and run from about 1,000 to 1,900 square feet, with exposed brick, timber columns, steel joists, ceilings of 10 to 20 feet and a fireplace in each. Top-floor units are skylit, some open onto roof terraces and others onto patios, and there's plenty of 1980s glass block.
Oxford Lofts: quick facts
Where is Oxford Lofts?
Oxford Lofts is at 75 Markham Street, Toronto, near Queen W & Bathurst, in Trinity-Bellwoods.
When was Oxford Lofts built, and what was it originally?
It was built in 1927. The Oxford Picture Frame Company's factory on Markham Street, designed by Benjamin Swartz in 1927 and enlarged in 1930 and 1936.
What kind of loft is Oxford Lofts?
Oxford 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 Oxford Lofts?
Oxford Lofts has 16 units.
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