One man’s home, one city’s traffic obstacle

On April 1, 1869, a St. Catharines newspaper ran an article entitled “The Progress of St. Catharines.” Apparently, this was a time of great growth in the town — a growing population, busy industries and much building activity.

Among other local projects, the reporter noted one major building then being erected on the north side of King Street, at Carlisle: it would be “one storey, bakery and dwelling for E. McArdle on King street, being two storeys with a basement for baking purposes and an attic storey with French roof ...”

Our old photo this week shows the building to which the writer was referring — bakery shop on the ground floor, left, and family residence in the rest of the building. Edward McArdle was the head of a family that had long been involved in the baking business in this district. In 1837, his father, James McArdle, had become a partner in a baking enterprise that had been founded in the mid-1820s. By 1842 he had become the sole owner of the firm.

Son Edward took charge of the business in 1850. Judging by the opulence of the building described above, the business must have been quite successful.

McArdle only remained in charge of the bakery for another seven years, until he sold it in 1876 to brothers James and Hugh McSloy. The McSloys remained there with their bakery business until 1888; the McArdles continued to live in the residential part of the building until Edward’s death in 1909.

The building was purchased in 1917 by the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization, which shared the building with a commercial printing firm until the city acquired the property in the late 1970s.

For us today, perhaps, the most interesting aspect of the building’s history has to do with its last decade.

In 1970 “Suncroft,” an elegant mansion built by James McSloy on Church

Street behind the McArdle building and across from the Hulse and English funeral home, was purchased by the city. It seems city planners were beginning to see a way to solve a problem that had long stumped them.

Local traffic — whether by horse and buggy or by automobile — that headed north from St. Paul Street on Carlisle was stopped at King Street, prevented from reaching Church Street by the presence of the McArdle and McSloy buildings. With their removal, Carlisle Street could finally be extended all the way to Church.

In July 1971 the city demolished the old McSloy mansion, then cast its gaze on the McArdle property.

Apparently the city met some resistance in acquiring it. In November 1977, The Standard reported the city might resort to expropriation.

In the end, the Knights of Columbus finally moved elsewhere and the city obtained the property. The old McArdle home was demolished in 1980, the bulldozers and paving equipment did their work, and at long last Carlisle Street traffic could flow unimpeded to Church Street, as shown in our today photo.

Dennis Gannon is a member of the Historical Society of St. Catharines. He can be reached at gannond2002@yahoo.com.