The Broadview Hotel was built in 1891 by wealthy serial entrepreneur Archibald Dingman. Having amassed a considerable fortune in the soap trade, Archibald was searching for a sound investment for his money. In the late 1880s, Toronto’s east end was humming. The city had just annexed what’s now known as Riverside and was marching eastward at a furious rate. Queen and Broadview sat right in its path. Archibald, wily businessman that he was, recognized a golden real estate opportunity and decided to erect an edifice in his name.