Thunder Bay Unseen

Superior History

Grenville Avenue

Before Current River declined into just another subdivision of Thunder Bay, it was a thriving immigrant neighbourhood on Port Arthur's north end. It's inhabitants were well known for their entrepreneurial spirit and hard work ethics. The heart of their neighbourhood was Grenville Avenue, the main street of commerce and industry. Though its glory days are long behind it, Grenville Avenue still bears the marks of its proud history.

Grenville Avenue, for most people, starts here at the bottom of the Grenville Hill. It was at the point, prior to the extention of Hodder Avenue, that the city buses would turn around before heading back towards Port Arthur. The turning area is on the right in this photograph and, since it has long fallen into disuse, has become completely overgrown.

Grenville Avenue is named for R. Grenville Walsh, a former Port Arthur Alderman, and the nephew of George Hodder. The part of the road that graces the hill was formerly named Reserve A & B, depending on the side of Cumberland you were on, and was also once known as Park Road.

The dirt road that extends off the left hand side of the Grenville Hill leads to the Current River Hydro Station. In the past the road that led to the station was called Burk Street after Daniel Francis Burk, another Port Arthur Alderman, and Manager of the Ontario Bank. The road was officially closed by a Thunder Bay By-Law in 1976. This dirt road most likely does not follow that original path but it is a possibility.

The Current River Hydro Station is still in operation, generating a small amount of electricity. While the site cannot be seen from Grenville Avenue itself, it can easily be seen from Cumberland Street as one crosses the bridge over the Current River.

Grenville-On-The-Lake is a medium priced apartment building overlooking Boulevard Lake, the Boulevard Dam, and the Grenville Hill. The development of residential areas at this end of Grenville Avenue, and Current River in general, was known as the Parkmount Development.

At the top of the Grenville Hill, opposite Grenville-On-The-Lake, lies the former site of the Parkmount Hotel. Not much remains of the once popular lunch spot, and it's evening counterpart, the Jolly Roger or JR. If one looks closely you can see the remains of the concrete foundations and sidewalks from the edges of the buildings.

Opposite the empty lot that was once the hotel proper lies most of the evidence of it's existence in the form of sign holders (left), light standards being reclaimed by the wilderness (below left), and a parking lot that is equally being overrun by the wilderness (below)

2009: There is a proposal to redevelop this old parking lot into a new condominium.

It is not known who Adelaide Street is named for, but the name appears on a 1907 document concerning the Parkmount subdivision signed by the executors for both the Margaret Wallace estate and the George Marks estate.

Many of the former businesses along Grenville Avenue have been converted into residences although one can still see their commercial aspects if one knows where to look. The central door and adjacent windows once invited customers into this former Chinese Grocery.

This storefront has seen better days. The main store was on the right and, at various times, housed a music store and a clothing store. The front stairs to the store are still in place although the door and windows have been removed. The false facade is easily identifed in this picture as well.

The storefront at Cuyler street was actually the front to a privately owned motel. In the rear of the residence are all the separate motel rooms.

The Current River Beauty Salon has existed in its present form for many years. The building itself is very function with few changes made to its exterior from when it was originally built. The wheelchair ramp at the front is the most obvious addition but also apparent is the now missing sign from the roof, probably removed at the same time the ramp was installed. This was most likely to save them from vandals, an increasing problem in Current River.

Cuyler and Adams street are both named for Cuyler Adams who owned property in Shuniah and Paipoonge. Cuyler Adams was a mining engineer and developer of the Cuyuna Iron Range in Minnesota. He was also the General Manager and President of both the Cuyuna Iron Range Railroad and the Cuyuna Northern Railroad Company. Although he owned property in Shuniah and Paipoonge he resided in Duluth, as well as Deadwood, South Dakota.

Many businesses in Current River were run adjacent to the homes of the owners which helped to create a greater sense of neighbourhood and community. Aladdin Rugs is an great example of these home businesses. Though no longer in existence the signs still stand as a testament to the work ethics of former residents.

Other homes had their businesses directly attached to them. The largest example of this is the building above and to the right.
There are a few larger business buildings that had been constructed along Grenville as well. Built with commerical space on the main floor and apartments above these buildings stand out from their detatched, store-front neighbours. The building above was home to the Current River Pet Store for many years, as well as a beauty salon. The pet store and salon shared the same front door, with the pet store having the window on the left and the salon to the right. The building seeks to have been completely transformed into residences now. The electric signs holders have not been removed although their actual signs have long been removed.

Other buildings seem to sit in between the two. The building pictured at the right was formerly a Cow Palace variety store. It was also home to a laundrymat for many years. It seems to have been built, literally, to bridge the gap between the house on the right and the building on the left. The red sign post still stands, giving the building away as a former business.

Businesses would be clustered like this usually because of a street car stop directly in front of the building. I have not seen a map of the former street car routes of Port Arthur so I cannot confirm this but I believe that it is a reasonable assumption.

On the eastern side of Grenville Avenue, between Adams and Cuyler streets live this tract of modern looking houses. When looked at in context to the rest of the homes along Grenville they are quite out of place.
This lot was formerly the Catholic School in Current River. Our Lady of Loretto School was the neighbourhood's Roman Catholic school for many years before a new school was built in the Black Bay development on the other side of the swampy area that would one day become the Current River Recreational Centre. There is no sign that the school ever existed here save for the newer look of these houses.

Our Lady of Loretto Church was built after the Roman Catholic church created a new diocese in Current River in order to relieve over crowding at St. Andrew's Church. Originally housed in a Coatian Hall, the church was completed in 1954. It was built in response to the growing population of Current River and was predominantly an ethnic church.

The church building itself sports little in the way of stained glass windows or stunning architectural points of interest, save for the steeple and the round staind glass window overlooking the entrance on Adams Street.

Unique among Catholic Churches in Thunder Bay is the large attached rectory to the rear of the church.

Merill Street is named for the father-in-law of Joseph Hodder: John Merill. He was the proprietor of both the Shuniah House and the Algoma Hotel.

Marion Street is named for Marion Merill, the wife of John Merill and mother-in-law of Joseph Hodder.

The former Ukranian National Hall still stands along Grenville Avenue although it has long since served that purpose. I believe that it is the last ethnic halls still standing and easily identified in all of Current River. There were, at one time, a number of these halls, each serving a different nationality. The Ukranian Hall was once sold to the Foresters Union who named in the Forester's Hall. After serving in that form for many years it was sold and may still be serving as a Union Hall.
Typical of these halls is the grandiose facade and unique treatments. Where steel doors now stand were once wooden doors with glass windows. The large carved stone bearing the Hall's name and date of construction belies its past.

Ethnicities still leave thir mark on Grenville Avenue. The Current River Bakery still serves up many Finnish baking delicacies. The current building, however, is new. It was built behind the former Current River Bakery which was torn down to serve as a parking lot for the new.
The white and blue that make up the painted name on the side of the building are an allusion the white and blue that adorn the Finnish Flag.

Some homes have had their front facings modified but their surroundings still give them away. Note the concrete leading to the front of this house marking an entrance that is no longer there.

Other homes clearly once served as businesses. This home based business once housed a

Other homes were not modified at all but still served a business purpose. The home at left served as the home of the Current River Credit Union for years before it moved to Hodder Avenue. The CRCU is now a part of Northern Credit Union. The home itself shows no outward signs of it's former life.

Other buildings were clearly once businesses on a much grander scale but have been converted into residences. The building above housed apartments and a laundrymat could be found on the eastern side of the building for years. The entrance on the west side was also a storefront at one time. The small awning gives it away. There may have been a large window there at one time as well: Note the change in the height of the foundation towards the lower right.

Morse street is named for Nathan C. Morse, a land owner in Shuniah township.

Other buildings have been completely reused and given new purpose. This building was, for many years, a hardware store. Later it was a pool hall before finally being converted into its current purpose.

Rita Street is so named in honour of the daughter of George Clavet who was the owner of this subdivision and a former mayor of Port Arthur.

Like the Cow Palace buildings previously on Grenville this cluster of buildings probably marks a street car stop. Axelson's Plumbing and Heating was once smaller with an addition being added and blended nicely with the front of the building but the cap piece was not extended, hurting the illusion.

Humphrey Sanitation Supplies next door was once a Rexall Drug Store. The large glass windows at the front have been replaced. The sign on the corner of the building is a long standing grammatical error on display in the city. The sign should read "Come In You're Welcome".

Used to be a hall?

Lillian Street is named in honour of Lillian, a niece of George Hodder who was an alderman in Port Arthur.

One last house on Grenville Avenue, at what was once the end of the street, sports a small business addition on the front of the house. This was once a barber shop - Note the Barber Pole holder to the right of the front door. Now it is just an extention of the attached house.

At the end of the Grenville Avenue lies Claude E. Garton Public School, once Current River Public School. It was renamed in honour of one of the longest serving and most distinguished principals, Claude E. Garton who retired in 1969.
The school was extensively renovated in the 1990s, with a new entrance added to the school as well as a new gymnasium and play ground equipment. Prevalent to the redesign is an extensive 'greening' of the school with gardens and trees an integral part of the landscaping and artistic component of the school as a celebration of Claude Garton's devotion to botany. He was a world renowned Botanist and is responsible for the establishment of an extensive Herbarium at Lakehead University.

These large mushrooms grace the entrance area of the school.

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Grenville Avenue