Regular reader Aaron, asked about his old neighbourhood watering hole, the Boiler Room. There was a fire there around 1999/2000, and the building sat derelict for a few years, before being bulldozed in August 2001. Sadly I never got a picture of it before it came down, the day I was going to go take one, it was already gone.
I don’t have much history on the building, but many may remember this sign on Howard.
Anyone have any memories of the place?
The 1919, directory has no listing while the 1922 directory lists it as the Howard Avenue Hospital, A.H. Hunt, mgr. Medical & Surgical, one entire floor reserved for maternity.
By 1923 it appears as a rooming house, and later on, a bar. Quite the interesting history…. The site has been replaced by a duplex, and it is still mostly vacant.
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sweet! thanks Andrew!
however, my watering hole it was not. i suppose i was old enough at the time, but it sure looked dingy from the outside.
i never would have imagined it as a hospital though, really seemed turn of the century hotel to me. if i'm remembering it's looks right, there's no chance it wasn't there in 1919. more of an 1880-1890's kind look.
thanks again Andrew, i knew you'd have something on it.
It became home to thousands of rats before it was torn down........ really rough looking place, but I as Aaron were too young to go in there when it was open... I dont think I would have gone in there if I could have anyway......I'm getting flashes from the movie Roadhouse
Aaron, honestly I can barely remember it... It might have been older than 1920, but the 1919 directory is the oldest one I had available. There are lots of times when things were missed in directories, so it's possible it was there and not listed, but the more I think about it, the more I think it may have been built as a hospital... Guess this needs more investigation.
Brendan, I remember the rats as well. I had a friend who stopped in once, I think it was just your typical neighbourhood bar. I imagine when Chrysler was around the corner at McDougall & Tecumseh and all the factories in the area were humming along, it was probably a pretty busy place.
Also Aaron, I wasn't trying to insinuate that you went there, only that it was in your neighbourhood... :) I guess it kind of came out wrong in the first post!
I don't go quite that far back , but for most of my years I believe it was known as the Howard Tavern.
Spent many a Friday Afternoon shift at Plant 1 there.The bar was in the basement and it was like a perfectly preserved intact 50's recroom.
Hi Andrew,
The bar in this dive was our "lunch" spot. Pickeled eggs and horse cocks with many barley soups to wash down these delicacies.
Then back to work at the Coca -Cola bottling plant just south of the hotel.
Joe Longmoore (Hi Joe!!!) described it well,as it was all rec room wood panelling.Folks went there to get plastered, and discuss broads and our place in the solar system.Lots of Players Navy cut to add to the ambience of this joint.
Photo July 27,2001.
My memory is telling me it was the Lincoln Hotel, but I cannot rely on my memory.
C P
Was this not originally called The Northwood Hotel or Tavern?
Andrew - i'm sure i would have at least got hammered once there if the opertunity was there ;)
i suppose you could say it was in the same style of design as the Manning house. arched windows, nice brickwork.....but painted over with ancient yellow (beige?) paint with a black/green foundation....i think.
Mike K - you could be right, but to my knowladge THE "howard" is next to goodyear near Euginie.
Mike K. is right; it was the Howard when I was driving cab in the eighties. There were rented rooms above the bar as there were (are?) in so many old neighbourhood hotels like the Baby and the Southwood. The Howard restaurant (which is called something else now, I think?) is/was the one up near Eugenie.
The Howard Tavern was never anything but seedy in my memory but probably no worse than the others I named above in its day.
I thought the Boiler Room was the same one when this was posted the other day but was sure when I saw the picture this morning. No memory of when the name changed so it was probably after I stopped driving cab.