Loading...
Clinton News Record, 2016-06-29, Page 5Wednesday, June 29, 2016 • News Record 5 1 www.clintonnewsrecord.com S. S. Cooper: The Man Who Built Clinton Few know his name but everyone in Clinton is familiar with S.S. Cooper's works. Lacking any architectural training, Cooper's bril- liant craftsmanship in buildings styles defied labelling. Whether in brick, wood or stone, Cooper erected humble family homes, barns, churches and public buildings. Though many of his greatest edifices are gone, Cooper was the seriously flawed giant who built in Clinton a unique architectural legacy. Samuel Sloane Cooper was born on October 28, 1865 in Queen' s County, Ireland. Cooper was a Methodist in religion and a carpenter by trade. He emigrated to Canada around 1883 and was employed in Goderich by his uncle, Samuel Sloane, a wealthy grain mer- chant. An ambitious young man, Cooper moved to Clinton the fol- lowing year and began work as a carpenter on St. Andrew' s Presbyterian Church on Rattenbury Street in 1884. In February 1886, Cooper formed a part- nership with William Swaffield. They pur- chased a planing mill in Clinton and began a con- struction venture. The "Huron Signal" called Cooper & Swaffield "two young men of excellent character who will, we believe, make a success of their business in Clin- ton." The enterprise lasted about three years. Cooper was on his own when he built the Clin- ton Baptist Church in 1889. Construction began on the yellow brick Gothic style chapel in August. Its first service was held in November. The speed and efficiency with which the church was built which still stands on Huron Road established Cooper's reputation as one who got things done. As a young man of substance, Cooper was first elected to the Clin- ton Town Council in 1893. In December 1894, the county awarded Cooper the lucrative contract to build the House of Ref- uge for the sum of $12,000. Not quite 30 years old, Cooper was responsible for erecting Huron County's most substantial public edi- fice since the building of the courthouse in 1856. In November 1895, Cooper completed the construction on the two storey House of Refuge. It was a modern building with 50 electric lights, tel- ephone service and a windmill water pump. At 120 feet in length and forty three feet wide, the House of Refuge was an imposing structure with dormitories for 72 inmates. The home also Huron History Dave Yates contained a chapel, med- ical dispensary and indoor plumbing. Coop- er's achievement was all the more amazing because he had abso- lutely no formal training in architecture. The "Huron News - Record" praised Cooper for his "energy" and "per- severance." Employing over 30 workers, in addi- tion to the House of Ref- uge, Cooper constructed "a large number of build- ings in all costing some $33,000" in 1895. The only misfortune marring Cooper's success that year was the destruction by fire of his planing mill. Undaunted, Cooper rebuilt it and was soon back in operation. The "News -Record" said that "Clinton could well afford to possess more young men of Mr. Cooper's pro- gressive spirit, push and enterprise:' After fire destroyed Doherty's Organ Factory in January 1898, Cooper was hired to rebuild it by May 1, 1898. Requiring 40-50 train car loads of brick, the Organ Factory was not entirely complete by the deadline, but it was operational. Other major works Cooper built were Stavely Hall (1900); the Sloane Block (1902); the Roman Catholic Churches at St. Augustine (1903) and Kingsbridge (1905). An ardent Lib- eral, Laurier's govern- ment awarded Cooper the tender for both the Clinton (1904) and Wing - ham (1907) Post Offices. In March 1900, the "Clin- ton New -Era" claimed that Cooper was the "town's most energetic builder" having "erected over 200 buildings" since 1887. The "New -Era" reported that on February 27, 1901 that S.S. Cooper, had married 30 year old Maggie Hanna at her `Mansion House' Resi- dence in Milverton. With over 250 guests in attend- ance, the "New -Era" observed that "very few brides have the privilege of receiving such an array of presents as the newly- weds:' It was an indica- tion of the high esteem in which the affluent young couple were held. After the wedding, the couple returned to their just completed "beautiful res- idence" known as "Glebe View" on the corner of Orange and Wellington Streets. In 1905, Cooper opened the Normandie Hotel on the site of the old Clarendon Hotel which burned in 1902. The Normandie Hotel was a massive two story hotel with 30 rooms complete with steam heat, two baths and three toilet rooms which filled the corner of Mary, Isaac and King Streets. About this time, Cooper bought the Rat- tenbury Hotel, his chief hotel rival thus far, ensuring that the Nor- mandie was Clinton's premier hotel. With a substantial income from his rental properties, Cooper was a wealthy man. He did not rebuild his planing mill after another fire destroyed it in 1908. He does not appear to have under- taken any more major building projects. Although as a hotel owner, he opposed prohi- bition. Cooper may have continued to enjoy his wealth and reputation as a leading citizen, but in 1912, he was convicted of attempted indecent assault against one of the Normandie's female din- ing room staff. Her hus- band, the Normandie's porter and driver, inter- vened to stop the assault. Despite the testi- mony of Mrs. Cooper and her sister who denied that the attempted assault occurred, the jury con- victed Cooper. The judge sentenced Cooper to 10 months of hard labour at Toronto's Central Prison because he had a duty to uphold 'the morals of the community.' A petition circulated through town demanding Cooper's release. It is unknown how much of his sen- tence Cooper served, but the Central Prison was known for its brutality. His conviction did not hurt him politically. In 1931, he was elected Clin- ton's Mayor. At the height of the Depression, he erected a community Christmas tree and donated presents to the town's children. Cooper also reduced the rents of his 42 tenants by ten per- cent. Cooper was acclaimed to a second term as mayor in 1932 but died in office after a brief illness on April 5, 1932. His wife, Maggie, prede- ceased him in California in 1928 on a visit to their daughter who survived him. For three days, his body lay in state in the Nor- mandie Hotel. Cooper was eulogized at Ontario Street United Church as "a man of generous impulses and a shrewd businessman" who had accumulated "a good deal of money and acquired much real estate:' Not surprisingly, there was no mention of his convic- tion. Businesses closed and the towns' flags were flown at half-mast for the man who above all else was an architectural savant. He is buried under the most elabo- rately constructed monu- ment in the Maitland Cemetery. Huron -Bruce MP Ben Lobb to host round table discussions on Canada's defence policy review MP Ben Lobb invites residents of Huron -Bruce to participate in a town hall discussion as part of the Government of Cana- da's public consultation on the development of a new defence policy Canada. Canadians deserve the opportunity to contribute to the outcome, which is why the government wants to hear the public's view on the types of mili- tary Canada needs to advance the country's interests at home and abroad. A number of issues will be discussed during the meet- ing, including the main challenges to Canada's security, the role of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in addressing current threats and challenges, and resource and capability requirements to carry out the CAF mandate. The round tables will occur on the following dates and times: July 6: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 180 (183 Victoria Street W, Wingham, Ont.) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 6: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 183 (219 Lambton Street, Kincardine, Ont.) from 7 to 9 p.m. July 7: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 167 (316 William Street, Exeter, Ont.) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 7: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 109 (56 King- ston Street, Goderich, Ont.) from 7 to 9 p.m. Those unable to attend a roundtable in their area can participate online prior to July 31 at www. canada.ca/ defence -consultations. For more information or to RSVP call the Goderich office at 519-524-6560. Huron -Bruce Conservative MP Ben Lobb.