HISTORIC CLUB UP IN SMOKE
It was affectionately known in the sporting community and its upscale midtown Toronto neighbourhood as the “B&R.”
The Badminton & Racquet Club of Toronto has been a graceful presence in the St. Clair Ave. W. and Yonge St. area from 1924 until Tuesday — when it went up in thick black smoke in a massive fire.
The historic club, tucked behind commercial and residential buildings near St. Michael’s cemetery, was beloved by its members for decades.
“For those who knew it, they loved it,” said Ward 22 councillor Josh Matlow, who spent most of the day in the area surrounding the fire.
“It’s devastating for the members of the Badminton & Racquet Club and surreal and scary to see a dark plume of smoke over the midtown of Toronto.”
Joe Morissette, executive director for Badminton Canada, said it was “a very sad day for our sport.”
“A great centre for our sport has been lost,” he said in a telephone interview from Ottawa.
Over the years, Morissette said the storied club produced many great stars, such as Canadian Olympian Alex Bruce, who started playing there at age 9. It also hosted international level competitions.
The elegant club got its beginning in an old Toronto Transportation Commission barn, in part through the efforts of Lt.-Col. George Gooderham Blackstock.
When not being a captain of in- dustry, Blackstock liked to swat badminton birds and socialize.
Blackstock and his chums had been playing at the Toronto Garrison Badminton Club, but the old barn offered a prime spot amid midtown estates such as Oakland, which later became De La Salle College, and Casa Loma.
Matlow, who visited the facility for various community events, said the historical significance of the building “cannot be understated.”
“It was very unique in that when you enter the building, it’s like walking back in time,” he said. “I’m very much hoping that whatever portions of the building remain, that the club will be able to incorporate them into any redevelopment.”
It wasn’t a big facility but it had a homey grace.
“The compact size of the property has influenced the direction of the club for many decades and ensured that it has remained intimate in scope, a true strength of the club today,” a club release said.
“Over the years, club leaders and designers have been particularly innovative, adding facilities, reallocating space and maximizing the property.”
In recent years, the B&R repurposed itself as a racquets, fitness and social club, which promised, according to its Facebook page, “A boutique club experience with excellent service, active social calendar, and passion for racquet sports in tennis, squash, platform, and badminton.”
The club had just reopened in mid-2016 after a major renovation. With files from Alicja Siekierska