Notes:
Description:
1020 Dupont Street is a 2-to-3 storey warehouse typology building located on the north side of Dupont Street near Westmoreland Avenue. 1020 Dupont Street was designed in 1920 by Harold S. Kaplan for the Soren Brothers and was completed that same year.
1020 Dupont Street is situated within the former Dupont-Van Horne Industrial Corridor. This industrial district emerged along Dupont Street during the early 20th century and remains a prominent element of the streetscape to date.
1020 Dupont Street was featured in the journal Construction in January 1921:
"The new building of Soren Bros. on Van Horne Avenue, Toronto has been made necessary owing to increasing business, and is used mainly as an office and warehouse. It has a frontage of 50 feet by a depth of 132 feet, and is connected to two adjoining buildings used for manufacturing purposes in the production of tinware.
The facing of rug brick and the use of stone trimmings give a more pleasing facade than is usully obtained on this class of building. The offices are trimmed in Georgia pine, finished natural and of a very practical character for the purpose intended.
The building is of mill construction, the walls brick, and the floors are four-inch solid with maple finish. The columns and beams are of British Columbia fir, the wide column spacing and the large steel window resulting in a roomy and well lighted interior, which is in contrast to the ordinary small warehouse building.
Direct shipping facilities are provided at the rear, where a private siding is brought from the main railway line. The first floor level is on the same level as the floor of the ears, and the large freight elevator at the rear is convenient to the loading platform. The side doors opening on the lane are for city delivery.
The heating is done by a steam vacuum system connecting with a boiler in the power plant, the heating mains being brought in through an underground conduit."
Prior to 1947 1020 Dupont Street was known as 138-140 Van Horne Avenue.
Architect - Harold Kaplan:
Harold Kaplan (1895-1973) was a prominent Romanian-Canadian and Jewish architect who was active in early-to-mid 20th century Toronto.
The Ontario Jewish Archives has provided the following biography of Harold Kaplan:
"Harold Solomon Kaplan (1895-1973) was a Toronto-based architect who, in partnership with Abraham Sprachman in the firm Kaplan & Sprachman, was well-known for the design of Art deco and Art moderne movie theatres in the 1930s and 1940s and for designing buildings for Jewish communities across Canada from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Kaplan was born 10 Sept. 1895, in Bucharest, Romania. At the age of three, he and his widowed mother, Tillie Hohan, moved to London, England, and in 1902 they moved to Toronto where his mother subsequently married Frank Kaplan. While in his teens, Kaplan spent time in Philadelphia living with an uncle and studying draftsmanship. Upon returning to Toronto, Kaplan attended Toronto Technical School where he took courses in architecture and building construction. He also served an apprenticeship with the architect Henry Simpson. In 1919-1920, Kaplan worked for the firm of Page & Warrington, before establishing Kaplan & Sprachman with Abraham Sprachman in 1922. In 1923, he married Dorothy Spain. They had two daughters, Phyllis (Pepper) and Ruthetta (Reiss).
Kaplan & Sprachman were best known for their more than 300 movie theatre projects completed from the 1920s to the 1960s, designing and renovating theatres across Canada in progressive "modern" styles and using innovative building materials. In 1937, they were awarded the bronze medal in the Sixth Biennial Toronto Exhibition for their interiors to the Eglinton Theatre (400 Eglinton Ave. W.) in Toronto, considered to be the finest example of their Art deco design work.
Over the course of their careers, they designed many synagogues for the Jewish community, such as the Anshei Minsk and Shaarei Shomayim synagogues in Toronto, Beth Israel Synagogue, Edmonton, and Beth Israel Synagogue in Vancouver. They also designed the new Mount Sinai Hospital, the Oakdale Golf & Country Club, the Jewish Home for the Aged (Baycrest), and the Jewish Community Centres of Toronto and Hamilton. Their design for the Oakdale Golf & Country Club was chosen as a Canadian entrant in the Arts Competition of the 14th Olympic Games in London, 1948.In addition to the projects already mentioned, Kaplan & Sprachman worked on retail stores, warehouses and factories, apartment buildings, and single family residences. Their partnership continued until 1965, when the firm of Kaplan & Sprachman was dissolved as of 30 October 1965. Kaplan continued to work as an architectural consultant for several years after this date. Harold Kaplan died 1 April 1973 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Kaplan was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Ontario Association of Architects, and the Province of Quebec Association of Architects. Kaplan & Sprachman's contribution to the architecture profession was recognized by the Ontario Association of Architects when both Kaplan's and Abraham Sprachman's names were entered on the Honor Roll for prominent members of the profession, established by the association in 1989."
1020 Dupont Street is an extremely rare example of a building designed solely by Harold Kaplan between when he left Page and Warrington in 1920 and when Kaplan & Sprachman was established in 1922.
First Occupants - Soren Brothers:
The Soren Brothers were a tinware manufacturing firm active in Toronto during the early 20th century. The firm consisted of Morris Soren and Louis Soren. The Soren family was Jewish and emigrated from Russia to Toronto in 1906.
The Soren Brothers earlier factory was located to the immediate west of 1020 Dupont Street at 1022-1030 Dupont Street. The two buildings were initially connected by an elevated walkway, but have been severed in recent years.
During the 1920s, the Soren Brothers factory had a sandlot baseball team that competed against other factories' sandlot teams.
Soren Brothers declared bankruptcy in 1926.
Later Occupants and Uses:
Later uses of 1020 Dupont Street include the International Stock Food Company Ltd. (c. 1920s to 1980s); and Dominion Coal Building Supplies (c. 1990s).
(Research by Adam Wynne)
