Ontario, Canada Recollections

Recollections (Early 1990s)

In the early 1990s, I recall attending some events held at the rectangular, one-storey gathering hall building that was just to the north-east of the St. Clement Parish church building at 9567 Walker Rd. (County Rd. 11) in McGregor (Essex), Ontario.

I don’t know what the hall’s address was at that time, and I don’t remember much about its exterior. I suspect it was quite plain and unremarkable.

This is approximately how I remember the interior being laid out then:

I recall the main entrance being near the south-west corner of the building, on the west side. I believe there was a rectangular lobby area, with doors opening north to the main hall area, and a straight hallway running to the east. There were washrooms and possibly other rooms located between the hallway and the south wall of the building.

The main hall area at the north took up the bulk of the building. I recall it being an open, unobstructed space. There may have been a stage at the east end, although I’m not certain about this. I remember watching a presentation or a film one time on a large projector screen (possibly retractable) that was at the east end.

The parish hall building was demolished at some point in the early 2000s, and the lot remained empty until a new building (9571 Walker Rd.) used for the McGregor Community Centre, the McGregor Branch of the Essex County Library, and other uses was built at approximately the same location.

(Note: this parish hall was not the same as the Knights of Columbus McGregor Council # 2844 McGregor Columbian Club building at 9650 Walker Rd., which still exists as of 2025. That building is on the opposite side of Walker Rd., and a short distance to the south.)

Other Information

The County of Essex “2000 Aerial” Base Map from https://maps.countyofessex.ca/ depicts the building. It is the white rectangle near the centre of the image, between the “9567” and “9571” labels:

An archived “St. Clement Parish History” article from the church’s website mentions that:

• “Salle St. Louis was built behind the church” as a “two-story structure” in “1944”;
• it was damaged in “1946” by a “tornado” that “blew the top floor inward”, and it was then “renovated as a one floor building”;
• it was demolished in the “summer of 2002” due to “recurring extensive structural damage”.

Some articles in The Windsor Star mentioned the parish hall, such as:

• “Class drives home safety message: School bus operator urges caution” (Stewart, Mark; 10 Sep 1993; A5): Describes a school bus safety course being held at the hall.
• “COMMUNITY SERVICE NEWS” (Finnerty, Kelly; 14 Sep 1995; B3): Mentions another school bus safety clinic being held there.
• “Limestone Legacy; Concert raising funds to repair 114-year-old church located in McGregor” (Hill, Sharon; 18 Nov 2017; A2): Refers to the 1946 tornado damaging the parish hall.

There were some post-demolition notices in The Windsor Star about fundraising, possibly for a new hall:

• “The Bulletin” (25 Sep 2004; B7): Refers to a fundraising music show at St. Joseph Church in River Canard with some of the proceeds going to “the St. Clement Parish Hall fund”.
• “The Bulletin” (02 Oct 2004: B7): Another notice for the aforementioned event.

The obituary of Joseph Sampson (1922-2004) mentions, “donations to a St. Clement Parish Hall would be appreciated by the family”.

The “Essex to celebrate new centre, library” (10 Mar 2011; A5) article in The Windsor Star describes the new building that was built in approximately the same place as the demolished parish hall.