Monday, March 14, 2011

Willibrord Social Club

While doing research in the BANQ archives I found this poster from 1946 advertising a dance at the Willibrord Social Club. I never heard of this club, has anybody heard of it ?

Guy

17 comments:

Robin Turner said...

Would this have been in the old church (a parking lot when I was last in Verdun) upstairs in the side/back?

There was a club up there where there were pool tables and where they also played badminton.

I know this because I went to cubs in that hall in the late 40x.

Robin

Guy Billard said...

Robin,
Are you referring to the St Willibrord Church ? It seeemed to me like the logical place to have a Social Club.
Guy

Les F said...

We posted that same advert a long time back & someone did know which hall it was, However I don't think they were referring to StWillibrord's Church, but it may have been,.do a google Map search of that address.......I also recall another redbrick flat front building on Willibrord that I thought was Btwn: Wellington & Laalle Blvd.on the west (Ville Lasalle) side ???
Cheers !! HF&RV

Les F said...

Now I have looked at a Google Streetview I think Robin has it,.it's the old parking lot beside the 'rectory' (priests house) beside the church ..the rectory building seems to sport te 367 address,so te parking lot makes sense.........................Cheers !! HF&RV

Robin Turner said...

That old building used to be a cheuch at one time before the current St.Willibrird's was built. For a time the Ukranian parish was there before they built their church near Jolicouer Street in Ville Emard. Then the old church was demolished to make the parking lot. I believe tha address of St. Willibrird's rectory is 371 Willibrord so 377 would just about be the address of the ols chuech.

Robin Turner said...

I believe that the red brick flat front building between Wellington and Lasalle was the Salvation Army building.

Les F said...

Yes , that's it Your absolutely right,..and just up the street closer to the lane towards Lasalle Blvd. was a grocery store with a fancy front facing like black shiny tile ,large cement sidewalk in front of it,(store was set back a bit) which allowed for parking of the old delivery bicycles ( I think beer was their specialty),Anyway back to the redbrick building ,I can sort of see it now non-descript really, although I guess if we remember it 50 years later it wasn't that non-descript........hahahaha Thanks for the memory prompt. Cheers !! HF&RV

Robin Turner said...

On Second Ave. where I lived between Wellington & Lasalle on the west side there was Laurendeau's grocery store. I was also set back a bit and those delivery bicycles would be parked in front. Teenage boys used to deliver the groceries and beer after school. If you were under age and couldn't buy beer in the grocery store, you phoned and they would deliver it. No one really asked a lot of questions in those days. Chances are the kid delivering the beer was one of you friends anyway.
HF&RV

Les F said...

Funny when you were getting to the age to drink beer (about 11...lol) they wouldn't sell it to you,but when you were 8 .9. or 10 they would help put a case on your wagon for you.........hahahaha
& let you pick up smokes ..
Here is a Google Street View link to the old Sally Ann on Willibrord ,you can Zoom-In on the inscription at the top of the buiding it still says Salvation Army
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=177+rue+willibrord+verdun&aq=&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=18.602302,36.474609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=177+Rue+Willibrord,+Verdun,+Communaut%C3%A9-Urbaine-de-Montr%C3%A9al,+Qu%C3%A9bec+H4G+2A8&ll=45.458264,-73.556385&spn=0,0.034161&z=15&layer=c&cbll=45.459179,-73.565812&panoid=-u4YPAJP3iH482o8Dk8S9w&cbp=12,215.92,,1,-23.85
Cheers !! HF&RV

Les F said...

Robin have a look at this address,.friends of ours lived upstairs the Lenihans,...& on the bottom floor lived a family you are familiar with I think......& if I'm right the Mom was Ethel , a daughter Bernice? & the Dad Charles maybe ? If so then Ethel used to play BINGO along with Ev Lenihan & a bunch of other gals (old to me at the time,but most likely younger than I am now....lol) Does any of this ring a bell ?
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=177+rue+willibrord+verdun&aq=&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=18.602302,36.474609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=177+Rue+Willibrord,+Verdun,+Communaut%C3%A9-Urbaine-de-Montr%C3%A9al,+Qu%C3%A9bec+H4G+2A8&layer=c&cbll=45.457714,-73.56415&panoid=PtwQNAZrAAEYHhDJolYOeg&cbp=12,342.58,,1,-11.37&ll=45.457662,-73.563938&spn=0,0.034161&z=15
I should mention that when you open this link it actually says 177 Willibrord, but I manouvered around to 37 2nd Avenue,.so the picture that shows up is 2nd ave, not Willibrord........
Cheers !! HF&RV

Robin Turner said...

That's between Wellington & Verdun I believe - close to Wellington though. I lived at 219 - right beside the lane just south of Wellington. The other side of the lane was Walter's barber shop and a corner store with a big Black Cat cigarette sign. The names you mention don't ring a bell.

Les F said...

I remember that sign .....did they have a coke machine just inside the door on the left,and the counter running lengthwise on the right ? HF&RV

Gord Carlington said...

The present Church address is 351, and indeed there was the original Church just north of it.
There was a club with pool tables upstairs, and downstairs was used as basket ball court for the school, and I am sure there were dances held there. It later became the a Lithuanian(?) parish which then moved to Cote Ste Paul. and then i believe they demolished the building in 60's
The church,s address is 351 so the hall would be a little higher as it was closer to Verdun Ave.

Also od interest St Willibrord is getting ready for their 100th anniversary.

Gordo




The present church address is 351, and the building next door was the original church, and there was a club upstairs with pool table, downstairs was wide open and we played Basketball there in the early 50's.
It was then turned over to a Lithuanian (?) parish who later build their own church in Cote ste Paul

Guy Billard said...

I have added the poster to my album no. 53. The poster is from the Conrad Poirier Collection in the BANQ.
Guy


Les F said...

the 60's makes sense as to when they tore it down, as I remember we used to take a shortcut through the 'new vacant lot,which was now the church parking lot. We could cut through there and then up the lane to Verdunave,.or vice-versa. Cheers !! HF&RV

Les F said...

http://www.stwillibrordparish.org/index.html

Les F said...

Click on this link,which takes you to the map shpowing bus & metro routes to get to the church (on time.hahaha) .....clcik on the bus route sign at the top of the page & then a little bus traverses the map,and then a little person animation walks to the church.
http://www.stwillibrordparish.org/map3.html
.................................................................Cheers ! HF&RV