In 1902, J.D. Storie purchased the Oshawa Stove Company, changing the company name to the Oshawa Steam and Gas Fittings Ltd. It wasn’t until 1910 that it became Fittings Ltd.
In the beginning the business employed only 15-20 men, but by 1911 it employed 250 skilled mechanics. By 1927 it had grown to have 650 men working in the factory. J.D. Storie passed away in 1936, his son Alex then taking control of the business. With its trademark diamond, Fittings Ltd. incorporated as a public company in 1946, and in 1956 purchased the Canadian Brass Ltd. of Galt. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in 1962. In 1967, 800 out of the 1000 employees of Fittings worked in the Oshawa plant and employed one of the city’s largest labour forces.
In August 1977, Fittings was sold to the Pedlar People Ltd. and Graeme Kirkland. Less than a year later, September 1978, the plumbing section of the factory closed. Fittings Ltd. was completely shut down in 1987. Although Fittings closed in 1987, the abandoned factory was back in the news in 1989 and again in 1990, both times due to fires. Controversy continued with accusations that the site of the factory was contaminated. Former employees said that oil, gas, chemical tanks and old transformers were buried on the site. This postponed any housing development planned by Reemark (the owners of the property) and there has never been any type of development built.
The Manchester of Canada 