The History of Victoria Hall: Drama, Danger, Rebirth

Photo by Peg McCarthy

June 18^th, at 7:30 pm
Cobourg’s splendid Victoria Hall was opened by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in September, 1860. In preparation for the 150^th anniversary of the opening, to be celebrated in 2010, the Victoria Hall Volunteers, The Cobourg and District Historical Society, and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Cobourg Branch, are presenting a multi-media event.
The event will take place in the Concert Hall. It will be an entertaining walk down Victoria Hall’s memory lane, featuring photographic displays, memorabilia, tours of the building and images through the years. Gabrielle Blaschuk, Chair of The Cobourg and District Archives will open the evening discussing the early years of the Hall. The building was sited to take advantage of the crook in King Street which ensures that the distinctive cupola of the Victoria Hall clock tower can be seen from both West and East as one approaches the centre of town.
Peter John Stokes, restoration architect and heritage consultant, will highlight the evening by discussing the restoration of Victoria Hall in the 1970s. Stokes is well known for his involvement in the construction of Upper Canada Village in the late 1960s, and the many heritage restoration projects and feasibility studies he has conducted across Canada. These have included The Grange at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Kings Landing in New Brunswick, and the Heritage District Plan for Walton Street, Port Hope. He wrote Early Architecture of the town and township of Niagara, and Old Niagara on the Lake, a primer on the design, restoration and architectural details of the province’s historic houses and buildings. He was appointed as the restoration architect for Victoria Hall in 1972, working with a visionary and determined restoration committee led by Lenah Field Fisher, Deputy-Reeve of Cobourg at the time, and John Taylor, Director of the Art Gallery of Northumberland. Stokes, a retired architect, now living in Port Hope, led the first two phases of the restoration of Victoria Hall. He will speak on the challenges faced by the team of engineers, architects and contractors in bringing the building back its former glory.

This evening is a unique partnership of three organizations with a shared interest in conserving Cobourg’s historic past. Victoria Hall is a Cobourg landmark, and continues to be the vibrant heart of the town, designed originally as a combination, multi-use building housing municipal offices, court house, opera house and a meeting place for the local Masons. It continues as such today, as home to the town’s Council Chambers, municipal staff, the Northumberland Art Gallery, and a myriad of community based activities including plays, concerts, lectures and weddings.
Peter Stokes will be introduced by Marion Hagen, the first President of the Victoria Hall Volunteers, a group formed in 1975 to support the ongoing restoration of Victoria Hall through fund-raising and educational events. The Volunteers meet on the fourth Monday of each month, and welcome new members. Funds raised at this event will be directed to the enhancement of Victoria Hall.
Complimentary refreshments will be served and there will also be a cash bar. All are welcome. Tickets $15 can be purchased in advance at the Victoria Hall Box Office, or at the door.