Conditions exist on Port Arthur streets which reflect upon our civic system the shame of negligence,
inexperience in management, lack of taste, and indifference,
even to the point of disregard for the first principles of cleanliness.
How long are we to live in Mudville?
Are we sincere in what we say to others about our greatness and our Chicagoability?
—est. 1884—
We begin in the
Entertainment District in February. The intersection of Cumberland and Arthur (now Red River Road) is
the centre of the oldest commercial district in Port Arthur, the city that makes up the northern half of Thunder Bay.
Since a casino was built in 2000, the area has seen an influx of bars and restaurants, and has become the number one
destination for people looking for a good time. The neighbourhood offers a contrast of well maintained buildings
and luxury condos, with run down Asian restaurants below low cost rental apartments, or of suited businessmen having
lunch at "bistros" and vagrants begging for spare change. In a few years it will be even more lively, as our waterfront
is being redeveloped as an extension of this neighbourhood. There is also talk of building an 8,000 seat arena nearby.
OLG Casino Thunder Bay is the neighbourhood's top attraction.
Ottawa House (1888), originally a hotel, and some other turn-of-the-century buildings.
The Government of Ontario Building, built in 1989-1990 by the government of David Peterson and referred to as "Peterson's Monument".
The building was designed by well-known Canadian architect Arthur Erickson and local architect Reginald Nalzetti.
Click here for a photo of the whole building.
I like to refer to these photos as "Alien Office Concept". I used the RGB-BGR colour shifter in Irfanview. It switches reds and blue,
resulting in what looks like Martian skies. The building is a good fit.
The CN Station, built in 1905. As part of the waterfront redevelopment, a hotel and two condominiums, all seven storeys, will be built
in a row to the south of this building. The station itself will be converted into a spa. It previously held numerous businesses, a model
rail display, and children's museum. All gone.
A modernist office building, built shortly after the Government Building. It proudly displays this city's disgusting love afair with the car.
Port Arthur's second post office, built during the depression as a make-work project.
Some photos from the rest of downtown:
First Baptist Church, built in 1907. It would have been very impressive if the tower just kept rising...
The Masonic Temple, built AL 5910. The corner tower was originally topped with a gold dome.
In the first photo, the mural on Creation Body Piercing and Tattoo Parlour. In the second, a building reposessed by the city for unpaid taxes.
The Andrews and Tomlinson Buildings
Skyscrapers! The Prince Arthur Hotel was built in 1910. The Whalen Building was built in 1913. Immediately after it opened, James Whalen
went bankrupt. The city has owned it ever since.
The rear of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for Thunder Bay District. It was the largest courthouse in Northern Ontario when it
was completed in 1924. Construction is about to begin on a new courthouse in the south end of the city, as this facility is now too small.
Original plans were to build an extension onto the front of the building, permanantly defacing it. Thankfully the were scrapped.
Click here to see the front.
On a trip to Port Arthur in March I took a daring adventure up the Heart of the Harbour Parkade.
Click here for the original size. (7,232×1,103, 1.1MB)
Click here for notes.
Court Street Firehall, the oldest remaining fire hall in the city. We almost lost it in the 1980s, but in 1986, the modernizations to the
building were reversed and it was restored to its original glory. It now houses the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association.
The Waterfront, as it appeared at the end of May. You can see some construction equipment in the background.
Click here for the original size. (4,239×1,153, 836KB)
South Algoma, the location of the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood. The most photographed building here is The Hoito, but I didn't
photograph it. Instead, I took photos of an abandoned church and Folino's Superette:
Lastly, some photos taken at night:
The end.
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The excerpt at the beginning of the thread is from a turn-of-the-century editorial in a Port Arthur newspaper.
Hybrid Mode