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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHomecoming '87, 1987-07-01, Page 26PAGE A-26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987. _ _Homecoming ’87 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Crystal Palace was pride of Brussels Fair ED. NOTE: The following history of the Crystal Palace, the former show hall at the old Brussels Fairgrounds was prepared by architect John Rutledge, a Brussels native, as a school project in the 1970’s. Today with the move of the fair to the Brussels, Morrisand Grey Community Centre grounds, the building goes unused. BY JOHN RUTLEDGE INTRODUCTION Since 1861 the village of Brus­ sels has, on the last Friday in September, held an annual Agri­ cultural Fall Fair. Since 1906, it has been in the present structure on the Agricultural Society’s 13-acre grounds at the northwestern corn­ er of the village. I’ve been an active participant in this Fair since I was two years old, when my mother dressed my brother, my twin cousins, herself, and I as pink * ‘long john” pigs and wheeled us in an iron-wheeled wheelbarrow painted red in that annual Fall Fair parade. This structure, better known as “Bird Shit Palace’ ’ to all home­ town Brusselites, has been the hub of 67 of these Fall Fairs. BRUSSELS’ CRYSTALPALACE HISTORY At the annual meeting of the East Huron Agricultural Society in May, 1906, it was decided to demolish the old (1876) exhibition hall in favor of a new one. James Ferguson, president, and Mr. Kerr, secretary-treasurer, hired a Listowel architect, W. E. Binning, who drew up the plans for the existing Crystal Palace in the form of a Maltese Cross measuring 40 x 70 feet, with two extending wings each measuring 11 x 26 feet. The October 11, 1906 issue of the Brussels Post described the design as “modern architecture’’. Tenders were accepted from R. McMillan, Jr. of Listowelfor all the concrete work and from S. E. Perry also of Listowel, for the carpentry, plumbing, and painting of the structure. Incandescent lights were installed by the Thuell Bros, of Brussels. The final cost of the building was $3,145, and a Fair Board director told a Brussels Post reporter that “we believe the money was well invested.’’ A threatening sky hung over the Fairgrounds on October 5, 1906, when The Honorable Wm. Patter­ son, Minister of Customs, with the aid of The Perth Infantry Band of Stratford, opened the annual fair and the new Crystal Palace to a crowd ofnearly 2,000 fairgoers. The ceremony was held on the balcony of the Palace, and the fair was officially in progress. The day was filled with foot races, an apple-naming contest, shorthorn cattle, a girl’s Ribbon Drill, Highland and Irish dancing, the Standard Bank’s prize for best horse-drawn roadster, buggy hors­ es and the ever-popular horse races. The indoor exhibits of grains, baking, flowers, preserves and quilts could be removed from the Palace after 4 p.m., although the cattle judging was not complet­ ed until after 6 p.m. that night. That evening, the Palace had its house-warming; the East Huron Fall Fair Concert played to a packed house. The Perth Infantry Band, Hartwell De Millir, a Toronto baritone soloist, Irene Sheadon, elocutionist, and high­ land dancers, Mabel McDonald of Wingham, with her father at the pipes, entertained before a full house. The evening ended with a comic routine by vocalist Eddie Piggott. Following are some of the highlights of the Brussels Fall Fair since the erection of the Crystal Palace in 1906: 1906 - An unfortunate law suit was filed against the board of directors by a lady who had beeninjuredinthe old hall. The Board had to borrow $750 to cover this suit and pay other expenses. 1907 - A successful fair brought in a surplus of receipts, but not enough to cover the previous incurred debt. 1911 - Pouring rain resulted in gate receipts of only $35. Wet weather insurance amounted to $247, but the Board was forced to borrow $406 to cover expenses. 1914 - Automobiles appeared at the fair for the first time. 1916 - A 20-entry Baby Show judged by nurses McArthur and Flaws saw Mrs. Byne’s of Henfryn the winner. 1917 - Prize for a slow half mile test of Ford cars in high gear was donated by Earl Cunning­ ham; there were four entries but no recorded winner as anyone changing gears was disqualified. 1949-A new hardwood floor was installed in the upper level of the Crystal Palace. 1950 - Ferrier’s orchestra sup­ plied the music for the first fair dance the night of the Fair; this replaced the concert, which was advanced to the previous Thursday night. 1961 - The East Huron Agricul­ tural Society celebrated 100 years of fall fairs since the first one was held in 1861 in Victoria Park and in the Armstrong Hotel (soon to re-open as the Brussels Hotel). Stone entranced gates dedication plaques were erec­ ted at the Turnberry Street entrance and unveiled by town officials to commemor­ ate the occasion. A parade and dedication ceremony was fol­ lowed by tea and a piece of Centennial Cake in the Crystal Palace. Thecake, designed and decoarted by Ella Shurrie, was areplica of The Crystal Palace and a small portion of the fairgrounds, including the new stone gates. The Crystal Palace and its site, the fairgrounds, truly are part of the colourful history of “Ontario’s Prettiest Village,” Brussels. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION EXTERIOR A good job was done in good time, and the solidity and construc­ tion stand for permanence. The foundation is a solid first story of The magnificent “Crystal Palace” was the most imposing structure to grace an agricultural fairgrounds anywhere in Huron County when it was first opened In time for the Fall Fair of 1906, boasting what the Brussels Post of the day called “modern architecture”. It was used right up until 1984, when the annual fair was moved to the newly-opened Brussels, Morris and Grey Arena at the south end of town. grey concrete, broken only by a few openings for double-hung win­ dows in a symmetrical arrange­ ment for good cross-ventilation in the lower exhibition floor of the Crystal Palace. The entrance is a massive, slightly arched double doorway in the centre of the south wall. The doors, which hinge inward, are framed in timbers, the corners planed to 45-degree angles for safety. There is an identical doorway in the centre of the north wall of the ground level. The foundation was extended to form the plain concrete walls of the first floor, to emphasize the perma­ nence of the structure. Looking upward the eye is caught by the line of a simple board, painted green, which anchors the well-crafted wooden upper facade to the bleak concrete of the lower level. This facade is divided into ordered panels of vertical boards, which are extensions of the double-hung window jambs, runn­ ing from under the eaves to the concrete first level. Between each division is a simple double-hung window of small panes, held in place by small wooden mullions. In the areas between the windows, white-painted tonque-and-groove cladding has been individually cut andfittedona45-degree angle. This makes a pleasant change from the more common horizontal sid­ ing. The plan of the building is a symmetrical “X” or cross; viewed from any side it appears to be a rectangle with two centrally locat­ ed extensions on either side of the main structure. The western extension is an interior spaceforthe firstfloor, then becomes the floor of a grand observation balcony, generously proportioned to support a number of people. Four support posts, also cham­ fered for safety, and 45-degree angled brackets under the eaves support a huge hipped awning for portection from the sun. The support brackets under the eaves are ornamental with swirls of “carpenter’s lace’’ and turned wooden finials. Balcony railings are a simple combination of wood and iron. The roof shows a dominant one-to-one slope, giving the three facets of the Palace, first level, second level, and the roof, each an equality of proportion which indi­ cates all parts of the building were equally designed with permanence in mind. The massive hipped roof i? shingled, with small gabled sky­ lights at the ends of the picks; below these are shed dormer skylights, which naturally light the interior. The eastern and western extensions are covered by similar roofs, minus the shed dormers. For a building of this size the one-to-one roof slop delivers a well proportioned sense of shelter. The highest point of the Palace is its roof-mounted flag-pole, usually guarded by a flock of “birds’’ which sit year round in an ordered pattern along the ridge of the roof. Overseeing all, these “birds’’ never seem to wander from their post in any kind of weather, giving rise to the term “Bird Shit Palace’ ’ commonly used by Brussels youngsters. Actually, these “birds” are small squares of wood placed on edge along the ridge pole of the roof: when viewed from a distance, they give the appearance of birds sitting on the roof. This building may not be everyone’s version of a palace, but as the hub of a rural fair, it deserves the title of “The Crystal Palace”. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: INTERIOR Mounting the steep, wide stair­ case your hand explores the broad, curved banister which terminates in a large wooden ball which is part of a carved post that finishes the stairway off at the second floor. Standing on the unfinished hard­ wood floor you realize you’re standing in an enormous enclosure surrounded by well-preserved, untreated wood. The hardwood floor, broken only by four solid wooden posts, squared and cham­ fered , is below you. Around you are horizontal - tongue-and-groove boards, full of intricate knots and decorated with an overlay of water stains from the sometimes leaky roof. Standing here, you sense some­ thing you don’t often see: the actual structural underside of a wooden framed roof. The columns stretch up like trees, becoming horizontal girders of the same size; these form a pleasant grid that merges with the rafters at the eaves, and with support struts above the grid. The rafters continue to diminish in size until the roof has come together about 40 feet above your head. Through these rafters is exposed the underside of rough- sawn boards which completely enveloped the room in a disciplined joinery of varied lumber sizes. To the right is the eastern extension of the plan; this forms a small stage alcove with a long window high up on the wall as a backdrop. On the stage is a dark-stained old upright piano with the ivory missing from most of the keys, and a round swivel piano stool with glass balls held by iron claws on the legs. To the left is a flat wall broken by four evenly-spaced windows, with a door between the middle two. Whenthis door is open a breeze blows in from the river to the west, bringing fresh air and sunshine into the huge room. The double-hung windows are high up on the walls, just under the eaves; it takes a tall person to see out of them. High in the underside of the roof are two fan-shaped, gabled skylights, while more light is admitted by shed dormers at either end of the hall. All the windows have been locatedclosetotheroof or in the roof in order to flood the entire area with daylight. At sunset, golden rays enter the hall through the open door and west windows, creating a lovely aura across the hardwood floor, which is reflected from the wooden walls. It is at this time one sees the crystals of the “Crystal Palace”: the sunbeams dancing among the dust particles is like thousands of golden crystals released from bondage. I have overlooked one of the most controversial features of the interi­ or of the Crystal Palace. Since the structure is only used once oi perhaps twice a year, it is always inhabited by birds (real ones!!) which over the years have covered everything with a distinctive white film: in reality, “A Bird Shit Palace.” I view the Palace’s interior as one of great interest, skillfully lit by the sun, and proportionally a natural space. Within this hall one cannot help but feel relaxed and reassured that a building like this, created solely for human enjoy­ ment, still exists. CONCLUSION: Our Canadian past - is it worth preserving? Should we only record it on paper? Remember it in ballads? Tell legends to our great-grandchildren? We are proud of our Dominion and should not forget its pioneer backbone. While the structures of our past still stand, we should preserve them with respect. Actually stand­ ing in a building like the Crystal Palace can teach one more about Canada than any history book. I hope the day never comes when the Crystal Palace is demolished to make way for “progress”.