Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mistery Solved

With the help of members of our society (SHGV), I have strong evidence that helps me solve the mystery of the street photo dating back to the 50s. As the present photos will indicate, the intersection was the corner of Richard and Verdun avenue looking east towards Montreal. I have referred to the Lovell directory of 1955 for Verdun ave. betwen Richard and Manning. The academy was LASALLE HALL BOWLING ACADEMY having no. 5855 and further on at the corner of Manning the drugs sign was the VERDUN WEST END PHARMACY at no. 5789. Across the street at the same corner is the building with the 3 arches having no. 5810. Notice the 3 large white bricks above the building wich appear on the old photo also appear on the new one athough hard to distinguish but if you look closely they are there behind the post and the tree. In their eagerness to modernise the building, it looks like the new owners did not see the beauty in the 3 arches and replaced them by 4 plain supports, My thanks to Gilles and Ghislaine for their help in helping me solve this mystery.

Guy 

32 comments:

Les F said...

Thanks Guy, I thought that the Academy sign was somehow related to a Bowling Academy,.I did not know it was ever called Lasalle Bowling academy,.interesting, Thanks for getting us that information & those modern day shots ...Appreciate your time & input,...................................HF&RV

Ron Chapdelaine said...

Thx, Guy , I thought so. I believe the bottom left (or both) unit(s) in the new photo was Richard Fish & Chips in the 50's which was a florist shop when I last visited the area 10-15yrs ago.

Rgds
Ron

Guy Billard said...

Ron,
Your right about the Fish & Chip store, I saw in the Lovell directory 1955.
Guy

Steve Gladwish said...

Guy

Excellent job Thanks....finally..hey anyone have another one????

Bill McKiernon said...

Some great Detective work there Guy. I should have seen some of that coming. I delivered for Bannantyne Pharmacy for many years as a student (Bannantyne & Richard/Godin).
Thanks for you diligence.
Bill (AKA Willie)

Ken McLaughlin said...

Good job indeed, Guy!
Two buildings I am interested in lately are at the corner of 3rd and Wellington. One is a coffee shop called Le Bao Bab which I frequent and most of you might remember as a Master Donuts in the 60's-70's. I am wondering what it might have been before that? I know the owner of the building but even he seems a little sketchy going very far back. Besides the coffee shop is a used bookstore. That is the south west corner of 3rd.

The other building is across 3rd that used to be a Dominion for many years. I know it was a car garage originally but would like to see some pictures of it if anybody has any or has seen some on the net. The building is currently home to the Verdun/Lasalle Baptist Church which was originally on Gordon and Verdun - torn down and condos were built.

Thanks in advance,

Ken McLaughlin

Bill McKiernon said...

I don't think I can go further back than you have Ken. I do remember the Master Donuts Store. They had the best Peanut Donuts (Glazed with crushed Peanuts) hhmmm. I don't remember it being anything else.
The other building is the Dominion that I used to "take orders" from with my wagon. We'd ask the shoppers if we could take their orders and we'd usually get anywhere from a nickel to a quarter to pull the wagon full of groceries to there house and carry them all up the stairs. The Dominion Store later changed hands and became a Provigo. I can't help you much past there, unless someone has something to share that might tweak a memory or two.

Guy Billard said...

Ken,
I go back to the beginning of the 40s and me a neighbor friend, I think his name was Paul Kennell, used to go to bible class, I think it was on a sunday morning, to the Baptist church you mention, on Gordon and Verdun. Imagine, a french catholic going to a protestant church in the beginning of the 40s ! after or before I can't remember going to mass at the Notre Dame Auxiliatrice church at the corner of Galt and Bannantyne, I'm sure to go to hell.
Guy

Sandy Walsh said...

The four corners of 3rd and Wellington in the '50s - north side Grover's and a jewelry store. South side - Dominion Store and a "biscuit store". In the block between 4th and 3rd (south side), there was also a 5 and 10 and at one point, around 1960, a very small shoe store (not Normandin's or Acres's which were across the street) where I bought those brown mocs that had a white sort of film/resin on them - no soles - but considered very cool. The "biscuit store" was on the corner though - selling also ice cream and candy. Living above the whole works was a family named Brennie - five kids I think.

Robin Turner said...

I believe that the shoe store you mentioned was PROM shoes. Also, there was a RBI Richstone bakery just west of 3rd Ave on the south side.
Robin

Sandy Walsh said...

That's it! PROM shoes - merci :)

Diane Roberts said...

I used to have a girlfriend that lived above some stores in the area you mentioned and her name was Roberta Brennan...originally from Saskatoon. Could this be the same family you call Brennie?athereu

Sandy Walsh said...

No - they were definitely Brennie. The oldest was a boy and then four girls. The oldest girl was in my class at St. Will's but lost track of her along the way.

Les F said...

Sandy was the oldest named Billy Brennie ? hf&rv

Sandy Walsh said...

Hi Les - yep - his name was Billy. Girls were Pat, Frances, Nina and Susan

Les F said...

Thanks Sandy both the Nina & the Billy names are familiar, I think Billy would be more around my brother's age, mid 60's Nina I don't know how old she would be. hf&rv

Sandy Walsh said...

Les - my long term memory is getting a workout here - lol. If I were to guess, I'd say Nina would be around 56 - 57 now

Steve Gladwish said...

I know their cousins from Chateauguay

Steve Gladwish said...

Their mothers name is Pat..she would be in her 70's now..

Steve Gladwish said...

HI

Is that Les's sister.? Les Brennan is from Sask.

Bill McKiernon said...

Seeing as some of you are from VCH, I am wondering if might know Brian O'Reilly. He is about 60 now and used to live on Valliquette. I think he went to VCH around the same time as some of you

Sandy Walsh said...

I didn't know any of the boys at VCHS because we were not allowed to look over in that direction - hahaha. My kids down here went to a coed Catholic elementary and coed Catholic high school - like night and day to what I experienced. I asked my daughter if she wanted to go to one of the all-girl high schools - there are some really good ones. She just laughed and said no way - the boys are what make it interesting - they are always doing really funny stuff.

George Edwards said...

Hi Ken:
Before it was a Dominion store it was a Car Dealership (Chrysler, if I remember correctly) There was a ramp on Third avenue, at the laneway, that you drove up to the second floor for servicing and maintenance. We use to play on that ramp as kids.
George

Les F said...

I just put another photo album on my site ,which shows the old car dealership,(the sign in the window I believe was GM / Chev ?? but there is a photo there.of 3 of the corners, except the SW corner where Master Doughnut(Donut) was.... One of Our members from MSN 'kungfu' ( Jimmy) used to live directly across from the dealership,as a youngster....Have a Look at the pics if you like; HF&RV

George Edwards said...

The Brennans lived on Wellington Street between First and Willibrord. There was Tommy, Roberta and their younger brother Leslie. I chummed around with Tommy and went to school with Roberta. Lost contact with them many years ago.
George

George Edwards said...

Hey Lad
You have me confused. (Not hard to do) Billy Brenie would be about 65 or 66 years old today. His sister Pat would be around 63 today.The ages of the other sisters I won't venture a guess, but they are younger than Pat.. So you either have the mother's age incorrect or she had her children at a very young age. Pat has a daughter. I met her a few years ago when I went to Verdun for my Aunt's funeral. I reconnected with Pat at the funeral home after about a 40 year period of time. Drove her home and went in to have a coffee and meet her daughter.

Diane Roberts said...

Hi George...I remember the day Roberta joined our class at Bannantyne school. It was very difficult for her as I think it was mid-year, she was very shy and they had just moved to Verdun. We became close friends, including Marilyn Gourley for the rest of our primary school years. I remember visiting them the first time, climbing the inside stairs to their flat and the biggest dog I had ever laid eyes on came bolting out the door and knocked me down the stairs! Insisted on Roberta visiting me after that.
Diane

Steve Gladwish said...

George

Hung around with Les. He just popped back up on classmates..seems to be doing better now.
Health concerns for a while.

Pat Brenie the one I know is the mother of a friend of mine..She would be in her 70's
Her mother I think lived on first for awhile. I know they told me they had family on 3rd.

Must be cousins

George Edwards said...

Hi Lad:

The Pat Brenie I know has 'blonde' hair. I believe she currently lives in La Tuque, Quebec.

George

Steve Gladwish said...

Hi

I spoke to my friend..this would be her cousins that lived on 3rd. Her mom's name is Pat and she still lives in Verdun. Big group..one of her cousins worked at CN in Toronto.

George Edwards said...

Hi Lad;

The next time you are in contact with Leslie tell him I say Hello and ask him about his siblings please.

Thanks George

Steve Gladwish said...

Hi

Will do.