Labatts comes to Toronto

Fredrick H. Armstrong Toronto: The Place of Meeting; Windsor Pub. 1983

John Labatt started his brewery in London Ontario in 1847, by 1897 felt they should expand and tap the Toronto market (pop. about 25,000). They bought this 1860s building, located at 49 Elm St. for $4000 and converted it to become their first bottling agency. The building survives to this day, now housing a number of small businesses.