Iconic Toronto factory being demolished despite efforts to save it

Despite efforts from heritage advocates in Toronto to preserve a rich part of the city's industrial history, the former Unilever Soap Factory at 21 Don Roadway is officially being demolished. 

The building itself dates back to the 1940s, and was also known as the Lever Brothers Factory or Lever Plant No. 2. 

In June 2022, a last-ditch effort to save the soap factory from destruction picked up over 900 signatures through a petition, which argued that the building presented an opportunity for adaptive reuse instead of complete demolition. 

"Cadillac Fairview has issued an updated proposal for the East Harbour site, which is now under a Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO). Unlike the previously approved plan by First Gulf, this scheme demolishes the massive soap factory building, Lever Plant No.2, effectively erasing the site's industrial heritage," the petition reads. 

The contentious heritage buildings at the Unilever Soap Factory on the future East Harbour site are under active demolition pic.twitter.com/EraOskYKFd

— Edward Row (@edwardrow) July 20, 2023

"The Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation performed a comprehensive analysis of the potential environmental benefit of building reuse which found that it can take 10 to 80 years for a new building to overcome the negative climate change impacts related to the construction process," the campaign continues. 

"Help us save Lever Factory No. 2 by signing this petition and letting both the local and provincial governments know that heritage and sustainable development play an important role in the life of our cities." 

Site is wild inaccessible due to various active construction projects corresponding in the area: the Don River renaturalization project, Ontario Line work, Lakeshore Boulevard East project but here are some snaps pic.twitter.com/nuUdxleNgh

— Edward Row (@edwardrow) July 20, 2023

The demolition is set to make way for the massive East Harbour commercial project, which will transform the 12 million-square-foot site into a transit-oriented community with a mix of office, retail, and institutional developments, and will provide approximately 50,000 jobs. 

The project was first planned by development company First Gulf and was sold to Cadillac Fairview in September 2019.