Factory that was once a fixture on Toronto's skyline is now completely demolished

An iconic factory that once stood proud amid the Toronto skyline since the 1940s has now been totally demolished.

The plot of land that once housed the expansive, historic Lever Ponds Soap Factory (also known as the Lever Brothers Soap Factory) has officially been reduced to little more than a pile of rubble to make way for the planned East Harbour Transit-Oriented Community (TOC), proposed by Cadillac Fairview (CF).

Back in 2022, the plans for redeveloping the land (and, in effect, completely levelling the factory) garnered public outcry, launching a petition in an effort to prevent a Ministerial Zoning Order for the site.

Obviously, looking at the completely levelled parcel of land at 21 Don Roadway, the efforts of heritage advocates were unsuccessful, and the historic factory was all but erased, save for a water tower still emblazoned with the Lever Ponds logo.

The still-standing water tower is all that remains of the Lever Ponds Soap Factory. Photo by blogTO.

At the time of publication, CF has not responded to blogTO's request for comment, particularly regarding the status of the water tower—the last remaining mark of the land's history—still standing on the lot, though mock-ups of the development don't appear to factor it in.

There is a silver lining here, though: the CF East Harbour development is expected to bring 4,300 residential units, including affordable housing, to the 38-acre site served by future GO and Ontario Line stations.

The development plan also features multi-use commercial towers and over 3.5 acres of new park and open space.

Demolition on the Lever Ponds Soap Factory first began in the summer of 2023, and no public information is available yet about when construction on the development will begin.