The Small Arms Inspection Building is one of Mississauga’s most historically significant and most creatively repurposed spaces — a 1940s WWII-era light machine gun inspection facility at 1352 Lakeshore Road East in the Lakeview neighbourhood, transformed into a hub for artist studios, community events, and weekly markets. It is simultaneously a heritage landmark and a living community venue — a combination that gives it a character unlike any other space in Mississauga.

The building’s origin explains its unusual architecture. Constructed during the Second World War for inspecting Bren light machine guns manufactured by the nearby John Inglis Company, the inspection halls were designed with a specific functional requirement: enough length and controlled light for inspectors to sight down the full barrel of a weapon. The result is a series of long, north-lit inspection halls with excellent natural light and dramatic proportions that have proved ideal for artists needing length, light, and volume for their work.

The Creative Hub 1352 program operates artist studios within the inspection halls — painters, sculptors, textile artists, and other makers working in a heritage industrial space with a specific atmospheric quality accumulated over decades of artistic use. Open studio events through the year make the creative work visible to the public. The building’s informal, accessible character invites the direct artist-visitor interaction that formal gallery environments don’t always allow.

The Lakeview Farmers’ Market runs every Sunday from May 24 to October 25, 9 AM to 2 PM — local produce, handcrafted goods, artisan food products, live music, and community programming in and around the building. The market has developed a loyal following in the Lakeview neighbourhood and draws visitors from across southwest Mississauga. The combination of the market’s fresh produce and artisan goods with the building’s studio culture makes Sunday mornings at the Small Arms Building one of the more distinctive weekly experiences in the city.

The Toronto Antique Market relocated from its longtime St. Lawrence Market home to the Small Arms Inspection Building — bringing 31 years of reputation and client base for rare, collectible, and on-trend antique finds sourced from estate sales, auctions, and private collections across North America. The antique market’s presence has brought a new audience to Lakeview and added another distinct identity to the building’s programming mix.

The building’s location adjacent to the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area — Mississauga’s newest waterfront green space, opened May 2026 — creates a natural destination pairing. A Sunday morning visit combining the farmers’ market at the Small Arms Building with a walk through the Jim Tovey Conservation Area is one of the best new Lakeview half-day itineraries in Mississauga. The waterfront trail connects both sites within a short walk.

The surrounding Lakeview neighbourhood has been transforming significantly with the Lakeview Village development on the former Ontario Power Generation site — the Small Arms Building sits at the edge of what will become a new waterfront community over the next decade, making it both a heritage anchor for what existed and a cultural reference point for the neighbourhood being created.

Address: 1352 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga, ON L5E 1E9

Website: smallarmsbuilding.ca

Price: Free to enter building; fees for specific events

Hours: Lakeview Farmers Market: Sun 9 AM–2 PM (May 24–Oct 25) · Building open during market and events