Argyle Lofts – 183 Dovercourt Road
The Argyle Lofts were converted from an old bread factory, tucked away on a lovely residential street.
History of the Argyle Lofts
Ideal Bread Company, 183-193 Dovercourt Road, at Argyle Street, showing bread delivery wagons and trucks ca. 1923
Rising five stories, The Argyle Lofts was and remains the tallest structure in the immediate neighbourhood. The distinctive corner bakery entrance will continue to be the loft’s front door, with the clock retained as a reminder of the building’s industrial past. The City insisted on much of the retention, as the building was listed as heritage in 2003.
The Argyle Lofts today, a larger and more expanded building than in 1923
The history and charm of this building set it apart from other industrial loft conversions in Toronto making it truly one-of-a-kind. The Argyle Lofts will continue to be a landmark in this prime residential neighbourhood. Finally completed in 2007 after some serious delays (heritage issues and whatnot), the building has been a hit with Toronto loft lovers.
The views from the Argyle Lofts penthouses are incredible
The Argyle Lofts converted the 1919 landmark Edwardian-style, five-storey former bakery into 86 lofts. The Ideal Bread Company was founded in 1909 by brothers William and Charles Carruthers and Robert McMullen. They demolished the small original 1873 building and hired the architect Sydney Comber to design their new factory, which R.G. Kirby and Son then built. In 1938, Ideal amalgamated with Wonder Bakeries, and production ceased in 1957. Since then, the building has had a variety of uses.
The windows are more residential than industrial in the Argyle Lofts
The lofts in this lovely brick building consist of 1 and 2-bedroom lofts. The 1-bedroom suites are around 500-600 square feet in size, with the 2-beds in the 700 to over 1,000 square-foot range. There’s no shortage of natural light inside the units, as most have tall windows and open floor plans.
The mezzanines emphasize the high ceilings
The two-storey penthouse lofts afford spectacular city views through walls of windows and have private roof decks. The penthouses are set back from the façade so not to detract from the architecture and are not immediately visible from the street below. Ground-floor units facing the street will have private front yards.
The Argyle Lofts tend to be quite stylish – and the floors are gorgeous!
Parking is hard to come by, though. Units do come up for sale fairly often, so be sure to get in touch if this building interests you.
The Heritage Toronto plaque on the side of the Argyle Lofts
And just for some extra bonus history points, here is some bread being baked in the old Ideal factory. You can almost smell it!
Baker receiving hot bread from gas-fired traveling ovens at Ideal Bread Company on Dovercourt Road ca. 1923
Current Argyle Loft Listings
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