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1914
- 1925
In
1914 John Graham and Company, Architects, designed the building
as the Ford Motor Company factory and showroom.
Ford's new Toronto home opened on Feb. 22, 1915 - just at the time
of this year's car show. This annual event, put on by the city's
car dealers, was the forerunner of the present Canadian International
Auto Show that's also held in February.
From
a contemporary newspaper:
"...
on the main floor is a richly appointed showroom, a customer waiting
room, ececutive offices, a lunch room for the female workers and,
at the rear, a modern garage.
 On
the second floor are the loading and unloading facilities for the
crates that arrive by box-car from the main plant. Here, too, is
a huge parts stockroom and, across the hall, a second room in which
busy salesmen can rest themselves and their busy pencils.
...
entire third floor is a repair shop complete with the most up-to-date
tools and equipment. The
assembly line is located one floor above. This is where the parts
in these crates are turned into nice, shiny Model Ts.
On
the fifth floor is the paint shop where customers can have their
vehicle finished in any colour, as long as it is black. Now we're
on the roof, where each new product is put through its paces on
an abbreviated version of a full-size test track."
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