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?
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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.