Queen City Vinegar Lofts

History of Queen City Vinegar Lofts

This corner of the west bank of the Don has been industrial since the 1840s, when the Don Brewery started up just to the east; its 1870s lager brewery still stands next door as the Malthouse Lofts, and the Dominion Brewery is a block west on Queen. Vinegar was a natural neighbour. Malt vinegar is made by brewing ale and then letting vinegar bacteria turn it sour, and in the 19th century vinegar was essential for cooking, pickling and preserving.

The Queen City Vinegar Company took out a building permit in 1907, and its $20,000 factory first appears on the tax rolls in May 1908. The architect was J. Francis Brown, who had made his name with the Board of Trade Building in 1899 and whose Classically detailed warehouses set the style for the King-Spadina manufacturing district. The company's name plate is still above the front door.

Streetcar Developments converted it in 2009, adding two storeys of glass and steel on top. Brick salvaged from the old building lines walls on the new floors, with polished concrete floors, wood posts and beams and exposed ducts throughout. The 36 lofts run from about 620 to 1,030 square feet, with 14-foot ceilings on the first floor, 12 feet on the second and third and 10 feet on top, and almost all have a balcony or terrace, some looking out over the Don Valley. The Carhartt Lofts are across Queen Street.