The other day someone was asking about the old Toledo Scale Plant at Howard and Memorial.
I don’t have much on it but here’s a copy of the Fire Map from 1937. Intersting to note that back then, Ypres and Memorial were two different roads, with Memorial running out to Walker Rd. along the north side of the rail tracks…
The factory with its water tower can be seen in this aerial from the Virtual Motor City collection, dated 1933:
Finally, a few years ago I bought some old photos at an auction that belonged to a man named Charles Kirkwood, who worked for the Toledo Scale Company. He came to Windsor from Ohio sent up here by Toledo Scale, where he stayed and retired. Mr. Kirkwood passed away in the 1970’s. In the collection of photographs, was this photo of what I assume to be the office staff of the Toledo Scale operation in Windsor. The photo was taken outside of the new office building. It was so new, that the outside lights hadn’t even been installed yet…
I believe this photo dates to the 1940’s. Charles Kirkwood is the second from the right in the back row.
I’m not sure when the plant wrapped up production here, but Toledo Scale became – Mettler Toledo in 1989 with the merger with a Swiss Company. The plant was demolished around 2001-2003.
Anyone out there have any memories or relatives who worked there?
Memorial still is a separate road, just that it’s heart was cut out for Optimist Park. The second half that used to connect to Walker before the grade separation is still there.
my grandma worked there when she was young, but i don’t have any stories.
are you sure it was demolished Andrew? i could swear it still has a sawtooth roof to the east. i think just the office building was demoed and replaced by the large one we see today.
thanks for the post!
Didn’t the Naval Reserves use the Toledo Scale building during the war and after, until they moved into their current location?
in the late 1990’s i did some railings and welding there for the new zieter med centre it appeared to be the old toledo scale building but parts were reconstructed to accommodate the a second level.
I passed my the old Toledo Scale building about that time. I know for sure that the building was renovated not demolished
Yes, part was saved, but I used to drive that way to work everyday, and I’m 99.9% certain the saw tooth part at the back came down. The front portion was renovated and turned into the Zeiter Medical building.
Re: the picture of the office staff – that’s my father on the far right, John Steel. He was vice-president & general manager of Toledo Scale for many years. He retired in 1965 & passed away at the age of 87 in 1985. I remember Mr. Kirkwood as he often visited our home. I can’t recognize any people but would likely recall their names. The office was located in Toronto before the war & after the war was moved back to Windsor to be beside the factory. I wish there was some way just to print that picture! (My son forwarded this to me this morning – it brought back many memories)
You have probably been asked before but , is it possible to access the fire maps you often show in your column ? How would one go about accessing said maps… ???
Fire insurance maps are available to view at the Windsor Public Library.
WANNICK – There are copies available at the Archives in the basement of the WPL and another set at the Baby Museum downtown. They are available for viewing during their hours…
Although Memorial may have connected to Walker at one time, it’s been many years since you could turn from one onto the other. It came tantalizingly close, but dead-ended 50 feet or so from Walker. Memorial was the place I first took driving lessons, in the mid-70s. The CAA instructors liked to take the newbie students out there since it was a wide & straight road with rarely any traffic — a great place for an unsteady driver to learn.
In spite of the long gone “Not a Thoroughfare” sign, it was also a nice direct route to South Walkerville from the Dougall/Jackson neighbourhood for those who didn’t want to use Tecumseh. At one point they put up cement barriers putting an end to through traffic. Now even pedestrians and cyclists have to detour through Jackson park once you get to the tennis club grounds.
The only memroy I have is playing hide and seek or chase at the back of the property. They used to stack a huge amount of roller conveyors and it was fun to try and stay on them while getting chased.
On the Memorial Dr side there was a gerat little bush where we played “war” but a miserable woman lived there and used to call the police saying we were too loud. Within a year or two the city cut back all of the brush and we couldn’t play anymore.
My Grandfather retired from Toledo Scale
Andrew, i should’ve known not to question your wisdom. i drove by the night i left that post and the sawtooth roof was indeed gone 🙁 lol
hope this didn’t post twice!
My grandfather worked here in 1947 when he was seventeen. He went on to become a Windsor Police detective with the youth branch for 34 years. We were talking and he told me that the window sills at Toledo Scale were slanted at a 45 degree angle so you coulnt rest anything on them. This was due to the fact that during the war, the factory made munitions and a falling box of bullets would be a messy thing, lol.
Another of what was once Windsors’ industrial legacy.
During my sales career, I was inside the smaller scales factory a few times.Later had a customer building truck scales in the south part of the complex. At that time I had no interest in photography (they probably wouldn’t let you take photos anyway), but I still remember clearly the truck scale manufacturing that took place in this building.
HMCS Hunter was invited by the Windsor Sea Cadets to share their part of Toledo Scales during WW2. In 1941 , they moved to their current location on Ouellette at Erie. This building has had many incarnations.
I have an uncle who worked at Toledo Scale in the 70’s. My parents used to have a newspaper article from the Star about the company. They had clipped it out and put it into a photo album that had a closeup of my uncle adjusting a large scale. His name was Doug Riberdy. I don’t know much more about it than that.
I use to work at Toledo scales back in 1972. It was my first real job after high school. My Chief Petty Officer Vic Byng, at HMCS Hunter worked there and got me the job. Worked there 5 months then went to the post office downtown for 3 months before leaving for basic training in Cornwallis.
Wow! I have mostly fond memories of life at Toledo Scale Co. I worked there from 1974 – 83, then went on to a career with Weights and Measures. So many good friends worked there – Doug Riberdy (mentioned above), Bob Gauthier, Eric Reynolds, Bob Morencie, Vic Byng, Gord and Randy Russell, on and on. It was described to me as the best employer in SW Ont, and that was certainly true until the troubles began a couple of years later. Trade deals did the place in. A crying shame. I was so very fortunate though to gain the experience so valued and sought by W&M. It was uniquely fun and challenging to build and balance everything from retail fan and hanging scales to large industrial platform scales. The experience of a lifetime. I wish only the best to those who worked there, the living, and the long departed.
Hi, I have a couple of old Toledo Scales from a Foundry near my home. One is a floor model that weighs 250 lbs.. The other is a Toledo Hydoscale (5000 Lb.) that was used to weigh the brass from the smelters. I cannot find any reference for the Hydroscale. Can anyone help me? Thanks Frank
Thats hydroscale, it’s a hanging scale.
The original wooden structure was used as a military barracks for a time as well as a facility of Remington Arms before being acquired by Toledo Scale, sometime in the 1920’s I believe. I joined the company in 1973. In 1990 the Mississauge and Windsor locations were closed and a downsized version was opened in Burlington. That was a sad day because as Jim Kennedy stated, many fine people worked there. I moved with the company to Burlington only to see that facility close and its operation centralized in Columbus, Ohio. There is a facility in Mississauga now but I believe it is mostly the Mettler precision side of the company with Toledo products being imported from the US. Jim, if you read this, I have sent you a friend request on Facebook. Best wishes to all the former employees.
My dad worked at Toledo Scale Company and retired in 1965 ( I think). I still have the 25 year old watch from the Scale Company.
My Dad told me not to go to work for the Scale Company – but any place in a storm. I went to work for Haughton Elevator. Later when visiting my in Florida, I told my Dad that I told him out that Toledo Scale Company owned Haughton Elevator.