© 2020, Christian Cassidy
Place: Clifton Community Club
Address: 1315 Strathcona Street (Map)
Opened: By March 1956
The creation of a small community club just blocks from the city limits would normally receive little media attention. That is not the case with Clifton. It made front page news numerous times in the summer and fall of 1955 caught in a land swap "fiasco".
Strathcona Street was extended from Wellington Avenue one block north to Richard Avenue in 1953.
The city spent around $17,500 to install a hydro line and network of water mains in preparation for future suburban development. The block ran adjacent to one of the city's old ash dumps that was in the process of being decommissioned, (it would be developed into Westview Park, better known as "Garbage Hill", in 1960.)
The following year, on October 27, 1954, ratepayers voted in favour of a $300,000 recreation bylaw. Included in its laundry list of projects was $30,900 to create a community club on Strathcona Street at Wellington Avenue that would include facilities for field sports, hockey and a wading pool.
The organizing meeting for this new community club took place at Clifton School on February 7, 1955.
George Robson was elected president and alderman Lillian Hallonquist was named honourary president. The club's ladies auxiliary was formed in early April with Mrs. G. McMullin as president, Mrs. J Rettie as vice-president, Mrs S. Craig as secretary, and Mrs. R. Dudley the treasurer.
Why the board choose the name "Clifton" when the centre would be located blocks away from Clifton Street and Clifton School is a bit of a mystery as neither local paper reported on the founding meeting. There are a few possible reasons, though none explain it completely. (See "Why Clifton?" below.)
Lillian Hallonquist, the long-time alderman from Ward Two, was rewarded with the title "honourary president" as she had convinced her colleagues on the property committee to transfer this block of land to the parks board for the new club.
It wasn't until around April 1955 when the transfer made it to the council level for final approval that it was realized by many that the $17,500 spent on land improvements were now worthless and items like water pipes and hydro lines had to be removed so that the centre could be built.
The "Strathcona fiasco", as it was dubbed in the papers, centred on which committee would reimburse the city for the cost of those improvements and their subsequent removal. Many aldermen, particularly those on the finance committee, were determined not to have it come out of the city's general budget.
The property committee said its department wouldn't pay as it had only done what the parks board requested of them. The parks board claimed it was led to believe that the only work it would have to do to the site was to remove some fire hydrants and a retention basin at a cost of about $500. For her part, Hallonquist pleaded ignorance saying that the only reason why she pushed for the transfer of land was because she saw it sitting there with 'nothing on it' and thought it would make a nice site for a community club.
In August, council decided that the parks board would have to reimburse the city out of its budget. The board claimed it did not have the money as its budget for the year was already allotted and was actually running a small deficit. A stalemate ensued.
While this was all taking place at the council level, the board of the community club was faced with another problem.
It has raised $450 to purchase a surplus barracks building from the airport and had it delivered to the site in July. A tender had even been issued to dig the foundation and make improvements to the structure. It sat partially disassembled at the site for months as the parks board did not yet own the land or have permission to build on it.
After more meetings at city hall, some ended in yelling matches and aldermen storming out of meeting rooms, the matter still was not resolved. At the September 28, 1955 parks board meeting Alderman G. P. Macleod moved "that we go ahead with the Clifton Community Club project and let the chips fall where they may."
On October 8, 1955, the sod was turned for the construction of the foundation. In attendance were George Robson, president of the club, and Vernon Israels and Walter Soles of the membership committee. Newspaper articles made no mention of any city officials being there.
Construction was to have finished by November 20 but ran a couple of weeks behind schedule. Adding to the delay were vandals who broke all of the building's windows in the first week of December.
It is unclear what date the community club opened as any formal ceremony that may have taken place was not covered by either newspaper. It was likely in early 1956 as the ladies auxiliary December 10 Christmas party was held at Clifton School and the first media mention of an event taking place at Clifton Community Club was a 'booster day' on March 17, 1956.
The "Strathcona fiasco" died out of the news in October 1955 after the parks board coughed up nearly $10,000 to have the water lines and hydrants removed so that the foundation and sports fields could be built. It wouldn't cover the cost of removing the hydro line and the parks board tried in 1957 to have the city to pay for it out of general revenue, but it was cut from the budget. It is unclear when it was finally removed.
In July 1956, the city agreed to close off Strathcona Street at Wellington to provide the club with the extra space it needed to erect out buildings and a playground area. The wading pool was finally installed in the summer of 1957.
It seems any animosity about the site was forgotten by June 1958 as Clifton was the backdrop for the official opening of the city's summer playground program that saw a staff of 50 provide services at 48 playground sites across the city under the slogan "Off the Streets and Onto the Playgrounds". In attendance was Mayor Juba, Charles Barbour, the city's director of recreation, and Margaret Wilson, the city's senior recreation supervisor.
The club was a hit right off the bat. For its April 1957 annual meeting, it had to put out a special appeal for more residents to come be volunteer helpers due to the large number of attendees it was seeing through its doors. Over the previous year, it was estimated that around 250 kids used the club building each week.
In June 1988 work began on a major expansion of the centre that added a gym, meeting and crafts rooms, dressing rooms and a canteen. The $659,000 cost was made up of $50,000 from club, $75,000 from the province and $534,000 from the city.
The newly expanded facility, like all community clubs, was now called a community centre and re-opened on May 31, 1989.
In July 2004 the city's Public Use Facilities Study (PUFS) report was released. It made a number of recommendations regarding recreation facilities in the West End, including an expansion of the Sargent Park Recreation Centre, (now Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex), a possible new recreation centre around Portage and Sherbrook, (which did not happen), and the closure of the Orioles' wading pool, (which did happen). Most importantly for Clifton, it recommended that the three West End community centres be amalgamated under one entity.
Amalgamation talks began in early 2006 between Isaac Brock CC (catchment area 5,050), Clifton CC (catchment area 4,820), and Orioles CC (catchment area 13,855) in 2006. An agreement was finalized in December that would create the "Valour Community Centre" to be based out of the Isaac Brock site and run the other two as satellite centres.
In its 2009 annual report, the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres noted "The Isaac Brock and Clifton sites both serve one neighbourhood each, Minto and Sargent Park respectively, and split the Polo Park area between them. Orioles serves St. Matthews, Spence, and a portion of the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood."
Clifton Community Centre was rechristened Valour Community Centre - Clifton Site.
Why "Clifton" Community Club?
Why was the community club named "Clifton" when it is blocks from both Clifton Street and Clifton School?
There are a few possible reasons, though none seem to fully answer the question.
Address: 1315 Strathcona Street (Map)
Opened: By March 1956
The creation of a small community club just blocks from the city limits would normally receive little media attention. That is not the case with Clifton. It made front page news numerous times in the summer and fall of 1955 caught in a land swap "fiasco".
Clifton site ca. 1953 (City of Winnipeg Archives)
Strathcona Street was extended from Wellington Avenue one block north to Richard Avenue in 1953.
The city spent around $17,500 to install a hydro line and network of water mains in preparation for future suburban development. The block ran adjacent to one of the city's old ash dumps that was in the process of being decommissioned, (it would be developed into Westview Park, better known as "Garbage Hill", in 1960.)
The following year, on October 27, 1954, ratepayers voted in favour of a $300,000 recreation bylaw. Included in its laundry list of projects was $30,900 to create a community club on Strathcona Street at Wellington Avenue that would include facilities for field sports, hockey and a wading pool.
February 2, 1955, Winnipeg Tribune
The organizing meeting for this new community club took place at Clifton School on February 7, 1955.
George Robson was elected president and alderman Lillian Hallonquist was named honourary president. The club's ladies auxiliary was formed in early April with Mrs. G. McMullin as president, Mrs. J Rettie as vice-president, Mrs S. Craig as secretary, and Mrs. R. Dudley the treasurer.
Why the board choose the name "Clifton" when the centre would be located blocks away from Clifton Street and Clifton School is a bit of a mystery as neither local paper reported on the founding meeting. There are a few possible reasons, though none explain it completely. (See "Why Clifton?" below.)
Lillian Hallonquist, the long-time alderman from Ward Two, was rewarded with the title "honourary president" as she had convinced her colleagues on the property committee to transfer this block of land to the parks board for the new club.
It wasn't until around April 1955 when the transfer made it to the council level for final approval that it was realized by many that the $17,500 spent on land improvements were now worthless and items like water pipes and hydro lines had to be removed so that the centre could be built.
The "Strathcona fiasco", as it was dubbed in the papers, centred on which committee would reimburse the city for the cost of those improvements and their subsequent removal. Many aldermen, particularly those on the finance committee, were determined not to have it come out of the city's general budget.
The property committee said its department wouldn't pay as it had only done what the parks board requested of them. The parks board claimed it was led to believe that the only work it would have to do to the site was to remove some fire hydrants and a retention basin at a cost of about $500. For her part, Hallonquist pleaded ignorance saying that the only reason why she pushed for the transfer of land was because she saw it sitting there with 'nothing on it' and thought it would make a nice site for a community club.
In August, council decided that the parks board would have to reimburse the city out of its budget. The board claimed it did not have the money as its budget for the year was already allotted and was actually running a small deficit. A stalemate ensued.
Top: August 6,, 1955, Winnipeg Tribune.
Bottom: August 31, 1955, Winnipeg Free Press
Bottom: August 31, 1955, Winnipeg Free Press
While this was all taking place at the council level, the board of the community club was faced with another problem.
It has raised $450 to purchase a surplus barracks building from the airport and had it delivered to the site in July. A tender had even been issued to dig the foundation and make improvements to the structure. It sat partially disassembled at the site for months as the parks board did not yet own the land or have permission to build on it.
After more meetings at city hall, some ended in yelling matches and aldermen storming out of meeting rooms, the matter still was not resolved. At the September 28, 1955 parks board meeting Alderman G. P. Macleod moved "that we go ahead with the Clifton Community Club project and let the chips fall where they may."
On October 8, 1955, the sod was turned for the construction of the foundation. In attendance were George Robson, president of the club, and Vernon Israels and Walter Soles of the membership committee. Newspaper articles made no mention of any city officials being there.
Construction was to have finished by November 20 but ran a couple of weeks behind schedule. Adding to the delay were vandals who broke all of the building's windows in the first week of December.
Clifton site ca. 1955 (City of Winnipeg Archives)
It is unclear what date the community club opened as any formal ceremony that may have taken place was not covered by either newspaper. It was likely in early 1956 as the ladies auxiliary December 10 Christmas party was held at Clifton School and the first media mention of an event taking place at Clifton Community Club was a 'booster day' on March 17, 1956.
The "Strathcona fiasco" died out of the news in October 1955 after the parks board coughed up nearly $10,000 to have the water lines and hydrants removed so that the foundation and sports fields could be built. It wouldn't cover the cost of removing the hydro line and the parks board tried in 1957 to have the city to pay for it out of general revenue, but it was cut from the budget. It is unclear when it was finally removed.
In July 1956, the city agreed to close off Strathcona Street at Wellington to provide the club with the extra space it needed to erect out buildings and a playground area. The wading pool was finally installed in the summer of 1957.
It seems any animosity about the site was forgotten by June 1958 as Clifton was the backdrop for the official opening of the city's summer playground program that saw a staff of 50 provide services at 48 playground sites across the city under the slogan "Off the Streets and Onto the Playgrounds". In attendance was Mayor Juba, Charles Barbour, the city's director of recreation, and Margaret Wilson, the city's senior recreation supervisor.
The club was a hit right off the bat. For its April 1957 annual meeting, it had to put out a special appeal for more residents to come be volunteer helpers due to the large number of attendees it was seeing through its doors. Over the previous year, it was estimated that around 250 kids used the club building each week.
In June 1988 work began on a major expansion of the centre that added a gym, meeting and crafts rooms, dressing rooms and a canteen. The $659,000 cost was made up of $50,000 from club, $75,000 from the province and $534,000 from the city.
The newly expanded facility, like all community clubs, was now called a community centre and re-opened on May 31, 1989.
In July 2004 the city's Public Use Facilities Study (PUFS) report was released. It made a number of recommendations regarding recreation facilities in the West End, including an expansion of the Sargent Park Recreation Centre, (now Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex), a possible new recreation centre around Portage and Sherbrook, (which did not happen), and the closure of the Orioles' wading pool, (which did happen). Most importantly for Clifton, it recommended that the three West End community centres be amalgamated under one entity.
Amalgamation talks began in early 2006 between Isaac Brock CC (catchment area 5,050), Clifton CC (catchment area 4,820), and Orioles CC (catchment area 13,855) in 2006. An agreement was finalized in December that would create the "Valour Community Centre" to be based out of the Isaac Brock site and run the other two as satellite centres.
In its 2009 annual report, the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres noted "The Isaac Brock and Clifton sites both serve one neighbourhood each, Minto and Sargent Park respectively, and split the Polo Park area between them. Orioles serves St. Matthews, Spence, and a portion of the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood."
Clifton Community Centre was rechristened Valour Community Centre - Clifton Site.
Why "Clifton" Community Club?
Why was the community club named "Clifton" when it is blocks from both Clifton Street and Clifton School?
There are a few possible reasons, though none seem to fully answer the question.
October 16, 1954, Winnipeg Tribune
One possibility is that the city's original draft of the recreation master plan assumed that the community club would go on Clifton Street, perhaps adjacent to and sharing fields with the new Clifton School that was to open in 1950. This would have been a similar arrangement as Isaac Brock School and Isaac Brock Community Club.
Where this explanation falls short is that if "Clifton" was the working name for the club, it is clear from articles and ads published prior to the October 1954 recreation referendum that the Strathcona site was already in play. As of February 1955, when the club's founding meeting took place, the new board likely had no idea of the coming storm that would put the site in jeopardy.
The club name Clifton, therefore, was chosen with full knowledge that it would not be on Clifton Street.
R. C. McPhillips' 1910 map of Winnipeg. (Source)
Another possibility is that there was a strong desire to name the club after "Clifton", whoever or wherever that was.
Scouring newspaper archives, I can find no mention of the origin of Clifton Street's name. Turning to early street directories also provides no clues.
There is the odd Clifton listed in the city, such as bricklayer J. Clifton in a rooming house on McDermot Avenue in the 1883 edition and a Fonseca Avenue dentist through the early 1890s. From 1888 through the 1890s, there was a Clifton House Hotel on Main Street at Higgins Avenue. None of these seem likely candidates for naming a street after them.
In West End terms, Clifton is an old street. It is first mentioned in an October 1893 Winnipeg Tribune article that listed a long series of streets that would be combined and renamed. It noted that Munroe Avenue and Clifton Avenue would be combined into a single "Clifton Street". These were likely just dirt lanesleading to farms or dairy pastures as the surveying of streets into proper suburban lots didn't start in the West End until around 1904 and would have taken four or five years to come this far west.
As Clifton existed back in the farm road era, it could have been a family name or a place name from the "old country" of one of the area landowners, or even of one of the surveyor's team hired to make a map of the area. There are many examples of both of these being used to provide street names for dirt trails as there was no formal process for the naming of the streets other than the City Surveyor had to put it on the official map of the city.
1906 Henderson Directory
Clifton Street doesn't appear in street directories until the early 1900s.
The 1906 Henderson Street Directory, the data for which would have been compiled in 1905, shows just two dwellings on Clifton Street between Portage and Wellington avenues, which likely confirms that this was still active pasture land. North of Wellington Avenue, there is a cluster of five residences and Winnipeg Oil Company's oil storage facility. Of these residents, two were "dairymen" and the other three worked at the oil facility.
It seems unlikely that in the 1950s someone would have remembered who or what Clifton Street was named after circa 1890 and felt so strongly about it that the club had to be named after it / them. (In fact, Donald Smith / Lord Strathcona, one-time chief shareholder of the HBC, the Manitoba Free Press, and other corporate entities in the West, seems a more likely choice to want to name a club for.)
June 22, 1911, Winnipeg Tribune
Another possibility is that the site was named Clifton after an existing sports entity.
When Charlie Barbour was hired away from Montreal to become Winnipeg's first recreation director in 1946, one of his first jobs was to create an evenly distributed network of city-funded community clubs. Prior to this, recreation services was a hodge-podge of athletic clubs run by service organizations, religious groups, and private boards.
To make this changeover as quickly as possible, and not to put noses out of joint, Barbour started by approaching existing groups to ask if they would like to transition their centres into one of these new city clubs.
Many did, including the Isaac Brock Community Club, (established in 1919), Sir John Franklin Community Club, (established in 1922), and Orioles Community Club, (established in 1936 as the West End Orioles Athletic Club). All kept at least part of their original names in the transition as a nod to their history.
There was a Clifton Amateur Athletic Club that existed in 1911, but it appears to have lasted just a year or so.
The "Clifton Playground", likely located on the grounds of the old Clifton School, entered teams in what was known as the "City Playground Hockey League" in the 1930s and early 1940s. Sponsored by the young men's section of the Winnipeg Board of Trade and the city's playground committee, the league had 23 teams in 1942 and each were named for the street that the outdoor city rink they played on was located.
Some Manitoba Hockey Hall of Famers, such as Reg Abbott and Ken Reardon, mention having played hockey around this time at "Clifton Community Club", though there was no such place by that name. It was likely that they are referring to the club teams that played out of Clifton Playground. (Clifton won the city championship in the early 1930s.)
It could be that one or more of the movers and shakers behind the establishment of the Clifton Community Club were involved with the old league and wanted the name as a nod to Clifton Playground's hockey days?
If you have another theory, please let me know!
Also see:
A History of Orioles Community Centre
What is the city's oldest community centre? (Still to come)
A City at Leisure - Catherine Macdonald (PDF)
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