Clubhouse Restoration Project: Update and Planning
In the beginning…..
The OTLBC’s First Golden Age on Cameron Avenue, 1923-1929 by Ross Eaman How did the clubhouse we are enjoying today get created 95 years ago by these 1920s members at a cost (in today’s dollars) of $2 million?
Trivia question Which of these players came to Ottawa in 1923 to celebrate the opening of the OTLBC’s new facility on Cameron? Suzanne Lenglen of France William T. (“Big Bill”) Tilden of U.S.A. (1899-1938) (1893-1953) World champion 1914, 1921-23 Wimbledon 1920 and 1921 Wimbledon 1919-23, 1925 U.S. champion 1920 to 1925 French champion 1925-26 Olympic gold medalist 1920
In The Art of Lawn Tennis (1921), Tilden described Lenglen’s dashing style as follows: Her forehand drive is a full arm swing from the shoulder. It meets the ball just as Mlle. Lenglen springs in the air. The result is pictorially unique, but not good tennis. She looses [sic] speed and power by this freak. Mlle. Lenglen's speed of foot is marvelous. She runs fast and easily. She delights in acrobatic jumps, many of them unnecessary, at all times during her play.
The official opening . . . Monday, June 4, 1923 At noon the temperature in Ottawa was 72 degrees Fahrenheit and it was King George VI’s birthday . . . Photo of King George VI taken in April 1923
Rockcliffe Park Lookout in 1920s Rockliffe Pavilion constructed in 1917
Street car in Britannia Park in 1920s Britannia, the “people’s playground”
Tupper Lake, 1920 postcard Canadian Pacific train in Ottawa, c. 1912
On Cameron “street” in what was then simply Ottawa South . . .
Cameron Avenue was the club’s fifth location . . . 1884 1888 1916 Elgin Cartier Patterson Third Street Square Avenue Avenue 1881 1888 1902 1907 1922 The Ottawa Lawn Tennis Club The Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Association
North end of Elgin Street in 1880s and the OLTC six blocks south Lady Agnes Macdonald, wife of the Prime Minister Knox Presbyterian Church Elgin between Lisgar and Cooper today
Why did the Ottawa Lawn Tennis Club become the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Association? • after moving to Patterson Avenue in 1902, the club was threatened by an aggressive membership drive by the Royal Ottawa Golf club; to counter this challenge, it reorganized as the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Association in 1905 When did the club switch from grass to clay? • following the initiative of the Rideau Lawn Tennis Club (formed by disgruntled OTLBC members in 1912), the club created four clay courts during WWI and four more (across the street) in 1919 as a cost- saving measure Third Avenue on eve of First World War
By the early 1920s, the OTLBC had over 500 tennis members, far too many for its Third Avenue courts . . . so the decision was taken to move to a 4.9 acre site on Cameron . . . which could now be reached by streetcar . . . New “high level” Bank Street Extension of street car line along Bridge completed in 1912 Bank Street to Grove Avenue
George A. Crain – who spearheaded the move to Cameron The large number of members in attendance gave their unanimous and enthusiastic support, financially and otherwise, to the Ottawa South extension scheme, particulars concerning which were laid before the meeting and fully discussed. Ottawa Journal , April 21, 1922 Who inspired this decision? Much of the credit must go to club president George A. Crain The directors were praised for their efforts in pushing the club to the front, and past President George Crain came in for considerable praise , as well as Secretary Fred Tory. Ottawa Journal , April 24, 1924 The Crain house • J.A. Ewart designed the clubhouse and Ferguson at 285 Clemow & Lambert were the general contractors
How did the OTLBC finance the expansion? Cost of individual components Land 7,500 Clubhouse 26,000 Courts, greens, etc. 10,200 Total cost of project $43,700 Assets from sale of Third Avenue. $23,700 (after mortgage paid off • the difference of $20,000 was raised through the sale of debentures paying six per cent interest • with annual expenditures of $6,300 and annual revenues of $9,300, the plan was to buy them back over 15 years
Clubhouse architect John Albert Ewart Transportation Glebe Building Collegiate (1916-17) Institute (1922-23) John A. Ewart (1872-1964) Ottawa South Southminster the doyen of Public Library United Church Ottawa architects (1949-50) (1931)
How do we know that John A. Ewart was the architect? I remember our father, John Cossar Ewart, telling us that his Dad designed the clubhouse. Our Dad was born in 1911 and played his tennis there in his youth and indeed, introduced me to tennis at the club as well. We lived in the area of Alta Vista Drive and Cunningham Road so we didn’t get to venture to the tennis club too often unless we were visiting our grandparents on Cameron Avenue. Doug Ewart, grandson of John A. Ewart; email to Ross Eaman, January 14, 2018. • there is no mention of the clubhouse in the entry for Ewart in the Biographical dictionary of architects in Canada 1800-1950 nor in the inventory of his drawings in the National Archives of Canada • but from memories such as the one above and other indirect evidence, we can safely assume he was the architect
A comparison of two buildings Mansion at 114 Cameron Avenue Our clubhouse at 176 Cameron built by John Albert Ewart in 1909 constructed in 1922-23 • Dominion architect David Ewart (d. 1921) owned the land between Bank and Seneca from Sunnyside to the Rideau River and built a house on Cameron sometime before his son did; many features of J. Ewart’s house are present in the clubhouse: roofline, protruding façade, window proportions, stucco siding, and half-timber beams
May 1923 – construction of new clubhouse complete The design of the successful country club . . . should express ease, comfort and well-ordered gaiety. A club is primarily a social place and . . . requires a main lounge where members can relax during the day and entertain at night. . . . Porches terraces or verandas should be placed as to give them full views of the tennis courts. Aymar Enbury II, Architectural Forum (1925)
Monday, June 4, 1923 – a special day for the OTLBC 2:10 pm – a brief thunderstorm hits the city 2:30 pm – with rain still falling, U.S. champion Bill Tilden beats former champion Lindley Murray 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an exciting exhibition tennis match at the OTLBC in front of 1,500 spectators; followed by a doubles exhibition match (Murray and Hardy beat Tilden and Crocker 4-6, 6-2, 6-3) 5:00 pm – George A. Crain introduces former Murray and Tilden mayor Harold Fisher who officially opens the new clubhouse and grounds 7:30 pm – dinner at the Chateau Laurier to which all local tennis members are invited (cost $2); Tilden talks about importance of a strong tennis program in Canada Chateau Laurier Hotel
1923-1929 a brief golden age for the OTLBC on Cameron Miss A. Watts became Mrs. Aleta Latham in 1926 when she married Walter Latham from Bell Street. In 1932 she became my mother. The Crawley name is also well known in Ottawa. My mother told us she had met and spoken at length with Bill Tilden and other celebrities during their visit here in 1923. Aleta Watts, 1923 doubles Myrtle Louise Barnes and Email from Edward J. Latham champion with E. Crawley Ewart Heppenstall, 1923 to myself, April 1, 2018 • most members came to the club by streetcar for five cents a ride • tea was served on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. followed by a dance in the evening • tennis was not played on Sundays until the mid-1920s and then only after 1:00 p.m.
• on Friday, October 18, 1929, the OTLBC organized the Ottawa Tennis Ball at the Chateau Laurier for all city tennis players and their friends “as a fitting climax to a year of progress” ( Ottawa Journal ) • eleven days later – on “Black Tuesday” – the stock market crashed and the world plunged into the Great Depression The OTLBC on Labour Day, 1935 1923 – OTLBC had 534 tennis members (plus 100 on a waiting list) 1939 – only 123 full-time adult tennis members (61 men, 62 women), but 110 lawn bowling members Tennis Fees $8 women $10 men Lawn bowling fees $10 women $16 men 1949 – 510 members (217 men, 293 women)
The Next 100 Years on Cameron Avenue June 4, 2023 A campaign to restore the building that houses our stories.
Functional not Fancy Maintain the Character Community Asset and Gathering Place Multi-faceted Business Model
How do we get there? Construction Grade Drawings – shovel ready Phased Construction Approach – mitigate risk
Clubhouse Campaign 2.6 Million Clubhouse Restoration Project • $1 Million capital assessment for members • $1 M fundraising (grants, member campaign, sponsorship) • $600,000 loan
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