By Mark
Schadenberg
The end of an era or
the start of a new era?
The home of the Royal
Canadian Legion Branch 55 in Woodstock is for sale.
The 2-storey building
at 576 Brant Street (519 537-3112) was built in 1955 for many
purposes well beyond being just a community clubhouse for wartime
veterans.
The Legion, which has two large kitchens, hosts luncheons,
card and darts tournaments and many social functions, but is designed
to be a destination for Legion members to congregate for any
important functions whether they be solemn such as Remembrance Day,
Legion Week, or to recognize the ultimate sacrifice of a local
veteran such as Tyler Todd who was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan.
A story on the Heart FM
website quotes Legion Branch 55 president Stan Winston, saying: "This
building was built for when we had a membership of approximately 2000
and our membership has now declined to 500, so it's a much larger
facility then we need and it is aging so we are looking to get an up
to date facility that is more sized to the needs of our current
members."
The multi-use facility
is used by other outside groups, so it's not solely the Legion and
its membership that would be affected by the sale of the building.
The 2833 Corps of the
Oxford Royal Canadian Army Cadets calls the Brant Street Legion home,
especially on Wednesday nights for their weekly meetings from
September to the end of June. According to their website, the 2833
group moved to the Legion back in 1974 after originally calling The
Armouries (BDO Accountants office now on Graham Street) home base.
The Lions Club of
Woodstock, which I have been a member of for more than five years
now, calls the Legion home with two meetings monthly (first and third
Monday nights), along with bingo every Thursday night in the main
hall. The Lions host a large Christmas dinner at the Legion for the
Big Brother / Big Sisters of the Woodstock area, and also utilize the
Legion for other large events such as a Ladies Night Out dinner and
marketing (?) of home businesses show in November. At the Ladies'
Night Out, attendees buy dinner and then visit tables with vendors
such as Scentsy, Tupperware and Avon. For the Lions, proceeds are
directed to various local Christmas / winter charities such as Inn
Out Of The Cold and That Christmas Place.
The Main hall was
recently painted and refurbished, and is often rented for various
community gatherings – wedding receptions, sports banquets, funeral
luncheons, anniversary and birthday parties, penny sales, progressive
euchre tournaments, community committee meetings, and the list is
endless.
Is there a market for
someone else or a company to purchase the building and lease it back
to the Legion as a primary tenant? I wonder.
Keep in mind, there is
a true local significance to the cairn on the front lawn recognizing
and honouring a dedication ceremony for the Legion and noting the
facility's purpose.
()()()()()()()()()()()
ABOUT THE LEGION:
Established
in 1926, The Royal Canadian Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran
support and community service organization.
The
Legion is a democratic, non-partisan, member based organization who’s
mission is to serve Veterans, which includes serving military and
RCMP members and their families; to promote Remembrance; and to serve
our communities and our country. As the largest Veteran and community
support organization in Canada, our more than 300,000 members in over
1400 Branches across Canada make a difference in the lives of
Veterans and their families, provide essential services within our
communities, and Remember the men and women who made the ultimate
sacrifice for our Country.
()()()()()()()()()()()
The Legion Branch 55
has been part of the community's framework in all facets – from
social to sports. I know that it was the Woodstock Legion which truly
constructed the framework to create the Woodstock Legion Athletic
(Track and Field) Club, along with strong sponsorships and assistance
to minor hockey (Legion minor hockey tournament is more than 40 years
old), baseball, soccer and many other sports and youth activities.
The particulars of the
listing can be seen at www.realtor.ca.
As a Realtor myself, I really should not promote / advertise the
listing of another office.
With a quick look at
the neighbourhood and immediate surroundings, re-development of the
property would likely be the result of a sale. The current building
could be converted into as many as 10 apartments in my estimation,
while the parking lot on the east side could be the site of a brand
new 10-plex apartment as you could easily build three levels based on
the apartment structure immediately next door to the east.
The Legion building
currently has about 20,000 square feet over two levels, but the
unfortunate truth based on today's strict and evolving building codes
for accessibility, the Legions gathering rooms are either upstairs or
downstairs as only a main foyer is at ground level. The building has
an operational elevator, but it is best described as a freight lift
as a key is needed to use it.
As a Lions member
myself I can elaborate on a complete description of the building,
adding that while it's now 60 years old, I don't believe its
obsolete. There's at least 10 bathrooms (5+5), a very large meeting /
reception hall with a stage, a secondary meeting room, the Lions
Club's fireside room, a large kitchen which could feed any banquet,
and then a finished basement with a large bar area featuring
billiards, darts, tables and tons of possibilities.
The Legion is an
important fabric of this community, and all town and villages across
the nation. One way to remember the sacrifices of our military –
past and present – is to maintain a monument-like facility such as
a Legion.
At the same time, Woodstock also has a Naval Veterans Association (Navy Club), so maybe an amalgamation of some degree can be considered.
At the same time, Woodstock also has a Naval Veterans Association (Navy Club), so maybe an amalgamation of some degree can be considered.
*********
Address: 576 Brant St,
Woodstock
MLS: 76072
Listed By: Century 21 Heritage House (Woodstock)
Asking Price: $775,000
Lot Size: 175 x 364
(feet)
Lots of details and
inside photos available by looking through the MLS Listing.
*********
LINKS:
2014 S-R
stories:
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2014/09/26/woodstock-branch-of-the-royal-canadian-legion-worried-about-declining-interest-from-youth
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2014/09/26/woodstock-branch-of-the-royal-canadian-legion-worried-about-declining-interest-from-youth
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2015/08/14/club-wins-two-silver
My 2014 writing when a
London branch was listed for sale:
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