The former village of Leaside, once isolated from the city until it eventually was swallowed by East York, and later Toronto itself, was a pre-planned railway village established by CN Railway near their own rail line through the Don Valley and adjacent to the rival CP Railway. Built on the land once owned by John Lea, the residential/industrial village grew and was involved in war efforts for both World Wars.
| Location | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaside | ||||||
| (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) | ||||||
| Built :: Closed | Status | Difficulty | ||||
| 1919 :: 2005 | Formerly Abandoned | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
| Hazards Risk | Security Risk | AUE Rating | ||||
| ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
| Hazard Observations | Security Observations | |||||
| None Specified | None Specified | |||||
Not that you can tell looking at the village today. While the residential homes built still stand, most of the industry has vanished from the widely-seen areas; replaced by commercial and big-box developments. Only by traveling beyond the developments can you still find some of the industry that once dominated the region.
Sitting among these buildings is a former rail shop, known as Leaside Rail. Originally build by Canadian Northern Railway, the property was later purchased in 1941 by E. S. & A. Robinson (Canada) Ltd, and after switching owners several times (due to buyouts), last belonged to Winpak, making brown paper bags (thanks to Axle for the history).
The Winpak factory next door is gone, but the Leaside Rail Shops still stand, empty. Future plans are to convert the property into a car dealership, with the old shops building being used for storage.
While it stands empty, don't let that discourage you... it's still photogenic in it's own right... especially if one comes equipped with a wide-angle lens.
AUGUST 21, 2012 UPDATE
The supermarket chain Longos is just about done redeveloping the property now. The old rail shops are seeing new life as a grocery store.
