NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF HALTON HILLS
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Reflecting on the announcement from the owners of the Olde Hide House, Mayor Ann Lawlor said, “The closure of this iconic landmark will leave a hole in our community”.
Taking the name from its leather tannery origins of the 1800s, the Olde Hide House was a family-owned business. Local business partners converted part of a massive old leather tanning factory into a retail leather outlet selling furniture and clothing.
The original warehouse was built in 1899 by the Beardmore Company. It became the largest tannery in the British Empire and a major employer in the Town of Acton.
In the 1980s, catchy radio and television commercials established the leather store as a day trip destination and put the community on the map. “It’s worth the drive to Acton” was a familiar refrain.
“The Hide House, and prior to that, the Beardmore Tannery, became synonymous with Acton,” said the mayor. “Its long-standing nickname is Leathertown and our local BIA stages a Leathertown festival every summer, so, it is still worth the drive to Acton.”
The building located at 49 Eastern Avenue has a heritage designation, which recognizes it as the only example of a late-19th century Victorian industrial warehouse in Halton Hills.
"While the activity in the building may change, the designation ensures that the history of the Hide House and the Beardmore Tannery will live on."
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