Picture the Broadview Lofts. A striking red brick facade greets you. This isn’t just another condo development. It’s a living piece of Toronto’s history. Before the sleek lofts stood a bustling warehouse. That warehouse itself was built atop a legendary site.
The Broadview Lofts stand where Sunlight Park once thrived. This wasn’t just any park. Sunlight Park was Toronto’s first baseball stadium. Imagine the roar of the crowd the crack of the bat. The scent of freshly cut grass mingled with the smell of sawdust from the all-wood structure. This was a place of legends.
The Toronto Baseball Grounds as it was initially called opened in 1886. Mike Slattery a star outfielder stole an astounding 112 bases. A record that still stands. Cannonball Crane the team’s ace pitcher was a force of nature. He won 33 games. He also boasted a .428 batting average. The best ever recorded by a pitcher in professional baseball. He once pitched three times in two days and hit a game-winning home run.
Sunlight Park hosted the city’s first professional baseball championship in 1887. But the team folded in 1890. The team was renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs. They went on to become one of the most successful teams in Minor League Baseball history. Five of their squads are on the official MLB list of the top 100 greatest Minor League teams.
Baseball faded. In 1914 the United Drug Company built a warehouse on the site. This wasn’t just any drug company. It was the brainchild of Louis Liggett. He united independent pharmacists under one banner. They created over-the-counter medicines.
The warehouse became a Rexall Drugs facility. From 1920 to 1943 a soda fountain and pharmacy occupied the ground floor. The Rexall Train a promotional marvel toured North America. It was a 12-car streamlined billboard on wheels.
The Broadview Lofts are a tribute to the past. The Sorbara Group carefully converted the warehouse. They preserved historic elements like the staircases and water tower. The original concrete floors remain. The 10-foot ceilings aren’t as high as some other lofts. This is because the warehouse stored small pill bottles not large items.
The conversion added penthouse levels and an extension. The Broadview Lofts opened in 2006 with 152 units. The design earned a Pug Award nomination. The lofts blend history and function seamlessly. They offer exposed brick walls tongue-and-groove wood ceilings and modern amenities.
Today the Broadview Lofts stand as a testament. They are a symbol of the area’s transformation from industrial past to vibrant present. From baseball stadium to drug warehouse to modern lofts. The Broadview Lofts are more than just apartments. They are a window into Toronto’s rich and ever-evolving story.