Liberty Village’s famous Carpet Factory may soon have a tower soaring above it
Developer Hullmark has rental units and hotel suites in its sights
A 37-storey mixed-use tower has been proposed for the Toronto Carpet Factory, Liberty Village’s most famous heritage building at 1179–1189 King Street West, 67–87 Mowat Avenue, 70–80 Fraser Avenue and 100–108 Liberty Street.
Plans from developer Hullmark call for 263 purpose-built rentals—seven bachelors, 154 one-bedrooms, 76 two-bedrooms and 26 three-bedrooms—plus 168 hotel suites and ground-floor retail. A separate two-to-three-storey building slated for 100 Liberty would contain even more retail and office space.
While the proposal would add density, it also hinges on preserving a beloved architectural landmark. The seven-building property is heritage designated, and Hullmark has described it as “a rare intact example of a Canadian industrial complex.” The builder would retain the vast majority of it while concentrating its redevelopment efforts on a surface parking lot, School Restaurant at 70 Fraser and an office building at 100 Liberty.
The would-be project also includes new pedestrian laneways, expanded retail frontages and underground parking.
Hullmark’s proposal represents not only the Toronto Carpet Factory’s next chapter but a broader transformation underway in Liberty Village. The neighbourhood was once one of the city’s industrial hubs, but a rush of residential in the early 2000s paved the way for tons of new businesses, amenities and mass transit.
Zakiya Kassam is a writer and fact checker whose work has appeared in Post City Magazines, This Magazine and Now Toronto. She was previously the associate editor at Storeys.
