Canada Hair Cloth Company



Side facing Hwy 406, portraying red brick and white trimmed windows
 


Pathway accessible by foot from St. Paul Street (Rob Munro / Ken Ho)
 


Front door with distinctive industrial architecture of the time
 


 

General Information

The Old Canada Hair Cloth Company is located just South of St. Paul St. St. Catharines. The present building stands as a figure of how influential manufacturing was in the Niagara Region. The building is made up of red brick and white trimmed windows. The factory made fabric for train seats, parachute silk and men's suit linings over the course of its 123 year history.

The complex will house Brock's Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (SEPA) and a new Niagara Centre for the Arts (NCFA).


Directions

From Toronto:

From QEW West

Take Exit 49 for for 406 towards Thorold/Welland/Port Colbourne

Merge onto Kings highway 406

Westchester avenue exit and merge onto Westchester crescent

Turn right at St Paul Street and destination will be on the right

From Buffalo:

Take Peace Bridge to Canada

Take exit 9 for Peace Bridge toward Fort Erie Canada

Continue onto Peace Bridge(toll road) and continue onto QEW

Take exit 44 for County Rd-48/Niagara Street toward Service Road

Merge onto Dieppe Road

Turn left at Welland Avenue

Slight right at Niagara Street

Slight right at Church Street

Slight right at King Street

Turn left at Helliwell's Ln

Turn left at St. Paul Street and destination will be on your right

Cultural

Brock Univeristy intends to refurbish the factory as a home for its school of fine and performing arts. If the $97-million plan comes to fruition, a 900 seat concert hall, a dance venue, a studio theatre, cinema and cabaret hall would all join the school in an arts district for a city of just 132,000 people.

Historical

In 1990, Canada Hair Cloth was bought by a French company and later failed because of overseas competion. Today, St. Catharines wants the building to become an example of economic renewal and historical value.

Adjacent Land Uses

The building is nestled between Highway 406 and St. Paul Street. The Centre for Performing Arts will use some buildings on St. Paul Street that are vacant to construct more theatres to accomodate their development.

Further Information

Address

Canada Hair Cloth Company
198 St. Paul Street
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 3M2

GPS Co-ordinates

Latitude: 43.157864
Longitude: -79.2441294
UTM easting: 642753
UTM northing: 4779842

Map


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