The Crystal Dairy brand was known for ice cream, but milk was delivered door to door from this dairy up until the sixties. The vintage images I've posted below show the horse drawn delivery carts in the 1930s and the milk trucks in the 1950s. My parents actually remember the Crystal Dairy making deliveries as kids, although I believe it was bought out and operated by larger companies throughout its lifetime.
In the nineties the building was refurbished and expanded to create loft apartments, and another floor was added in 2010. You can still see some of the faded painted signage on some of the original brick. In my opinion, it's now one of the nicest apartment blocks in the city, and certainly has some of the best character. The original boiler is still in the basement, and a large fire escape on the opposite side of the building is popular with wedding photographers. It's a rare example of a historic building embracing its past while actually becoming significantly better than the original ever was.
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| Crystal Dairy ca. 1955 |
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| Adding a new floor in 2010. |
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| Crystal Dairy ca. 1936 |
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| Crystal Dairy ca. 1927-1929 |
6 comments :
Dude. You live in an old ice cream factory? That is badass!
More incentive to come for a visit? haha. It is BYOIC these days though - bring your own ice cream.
ALL these cool photosets are more incentive to come visit. Also, I will totally bring ice cream.
would it be weird to ask you to take pictures of the inside.. haha ive always been curious as to what they apartments look like in there!
I used to go to Earl Kitchener School in the early 80's and we lived down the block on 5th Street. Sometimes on the way home for lunch, I would climb that giant set of stairs in the front of the old 'Alpha' Dairy to buy a carton of chocolate milk. Sometimes, after school while walking past the diary, the milkmen would give us cartons of milk or ice cream bars that were left over. Great pictures. Thanks.
My Dad worked there in 1944/45. Used to bring a brick of ice cream home at supper time. Everything related to dairy was controlled at that time and subject to quota. Don't know how he managed it but it was enjoyed. I was only
2 in 1944 and had no idea of the size of the business.
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