Similar Structures

- Canada Malting Company Elevator and Silos, Toronto:

- Essroc Toronto Terminal:


- Redpath Sugar Refinery and Museum, Toronto:

- St. Mary East Silo, Toronto:

- St. Mary West Silo, Toronto:

What is a "silo"?

- A cylindrical watertight and airtight structure for storing bulk materials such as grain, coal, cement, wood chips, sawdust, or silage (fermented feed).
- In agriculture, silos can also act as "grain elevators."
- Provide a dry, controlled, and secure environment for the storage of goods.
- Three types: tower, bunker, and bag silos.

Tower silo:
- Designed by Franklin Hiram King (1848-1911) with the goal to reduce the occurrence of moldy corners in silage.
- Cylindrical in structure
- D=4 to 30 m (10 to 90 ft); h=10 to 84 m (30 to 275 ft)
- Materials: concrete or wood staves, cast concrete, steel panels.
- Can be disassembled.

Location/Site Pictures (online search)

Preliminary Research

Site: Victory Soya Mills Silos

Location: Eastern edge of Toronto's harbour

Historical Information*:
- Opened in 1946 by industrialist E.P. Taylor with the goal of boosting Canada's production and processing of soybeans.
- Landowners: the Board of Toronto Harbour Commissioners (1946); Victory Mills (1947); Procter and Gamble Co. (1954); Central Soya Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana (1980). Current owner: 2017919 Ontario Limited (Counsel/Agent: C.J. Williams; "Michael Gregg is representing archaeological interests related to the property.")
- Location used to meet the needs of receiving and sending shipments via rail/road and waterborne facilities.
- The building was designed to serve as a plant to extract and process soybeans, linseed and other vegetable oils. Soybeans were processed into oil for margarine, cooking oil, and protein supplements for livestock feed. Other industries would use the products of the plant to make glue, paint, printing ink and soap. The plant used to store the beans in a stockpile fashion, then allow screw-press and solvent-extraction processes to take place.
- Closed in 1991 due to poor profits.

*Summarized from: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/pdfs/books/regeneration/chapter%2010%20-%20pages%2086-88.pdf