The building originally belonged to The Lang Tanning Company, started by Reinhold Lang, a settler from Germany who founded the company in 1849. The tannery became very large and important — at its peak it was the largest producer of sole leather in the entire British Empire. It produced leather for many uses, including saddle leather in World War I and linings for aircraft fuel tanks in World War II. The company’s operations slowed and ended in 1954 due to increasing competition from synthetic materials that were replacing leather.

Today “The Tannery” hosts technology firms, creative industries, and commercial tenants, becoming part of downtown Kitchener’s Innovation District.