Legion found its permanent home in old high school
Building purchased from village in 1962 for $1
The Legion’s mission to support veterans and their families has always been the main objective for the local branch; however this benefaction is not necessarily always in the form of financial aid.
From its inception the Legion has served the incredibly important role of a social club. A comfortable place to gather with comrades to “wet your whistle and shoot the breeze”; sometimes a little camaraderie with friends is the best support you can receive.
By 1961 the Norwood Legion membership was growing substantially and the legion found themselves at a crossroads. The time had come to move from their original home in the repurposed feed warehouse at the corner of Elm and Peterborough Streets; the big question was whether to build a new facility as they had originally intended or find and renovate another existing building.
As it turned out fate may have played a role in their final decision; by the year 1961 the village’s high school and elementary school had been relocated to new facilities, leaving their former homes on the corner of Alma and King Streets vacant.
The former elementary school was purchased by the Norwood Fair Board, but the building unfortunately suffered considerable vandalism in subsequent years and was eventually demolished in the late 1970s. The fair donated part of the land to the village for them to build the present day medical building and ambulance dispatch station on.
The Board of Education deeded the old high school building to the village. Constructed about 1895, the large two-storey red brick building was still in very good condition. Legion members realized that it could be retrofit for their purposes with a minimum of expense.
A delegation from the legion attended a town council meeting on April 23, 1962 to ask if the village would consider selling them the building. After a short debate the council voted to sell the old high school to Branch 300 for the grand sum of one dollar (plus any transfer costs).
Renovations began almost immediately. As much of the work was done by volunteers their costs were only for materials. After spending only $2,000 the legion moved into their new home a little over two months later in July of 1962.
The old home on Peterborough Street was sold the same month for the sum of $650 and was eventually turned into a couple of comfortable apartments with a barber shop on the ground level, the same configuration that it retains today.
An ambitious project to restore the historical look (both inside and out) of the building as well as modernizing and updating the facilities is well underway.
The existing windows have all been replaced and many of the boarded-up windows have been opened back up and replaced with modern equivalents to “shed some new light on things.”
A small addition was added to provide a space for a new and much larger walk-in cooler for the bar and also included a new entrance for better emergency access. The bar area has been overhauled.
Many of the old school’s original features such as the original tin ceilings and heavy wooden trim had been hidden behind false walls and ceilings and are now being revealed for the first time in decades.
Other renovations in the last few years have included the replacement of a staircase that had been removed years ago, the construction of a new multipurpose and pool room in a formerly unused space in the basement, improvements and a retrofit for the main kitchen, repairs to the roof and upgrades to the heat and air conditioning equipment.
One exterior addition that needs mentioning was added about 10 years ago, this is the very large deck that runs along the front of the building. This patio provides a valuable and much-needed outside seating and entertainment space and it was made possible by a donation to the legion by Asphodel-Norwood Fire and Rescue; it was also constructed and installed by ANFR members.
The legion’s Catch the Ace Draw was halted during the pandemic and has only recently started back up. The jackpot has grown to around $12,000. Tickets are available at J.J. Stewart Motors Monday to Friday and at Lynn’s Flower Shop Tuesday to Friday and in the legion lobby on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (the weekly draw day.) All COVID protocols remain in effect. Visit “Norwood Legion Branch 300” on Facebook for more details.
As an integral part of Canada’s largest veteran support and community service organization, the Norwood Legion will never lose sight of its mandate to make a difference in the lives of veterans and their families, provide essential services within their community and Remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.