The Garden City Arena: A Pre-History

Garden City Arena Official Programme, December 1938.

Credit: Estelle Cuffe Hawley fonds, RG 503, Archives and Special Collections, Brock University Library.

The Garden City Arena, affectionately known as “The Jack,” was a community hub in St. Catharines for over 80 years. As a centre for ice hockey, figure skating, lacrosse, wrestling, curling, concerts and fundraising events, the arena was constructed in 1938 as a make-work project during the Great Depression. But the land just off of Geneva St. was not always home to the city’s beloved “barn.”

As late as the 1820s, the land on which the Garden City Arena was built was densely covered by pine trees. It eventually passed into the hands of the prominent Phelps family.

Oliver Phelps (1779-1851) had moved his family to St. Catharines from the United States in the late 1820s and was instrumental in the construction of the first Welland Canal.

Considered a “large merchant,” he contributed significantly to the community, involving himself in the saw and grist mill industries, the building of the First Presbyterian Church of St. Catharines, and the creation of the city’s Board of Police. He was also the president of the Niagara District Temperance Convention.

Oliver Phelps is also known for his contribution to the Underground Railway: he leased some of his land to the growing Black community that had arrived from the United States as former enslaved people. Phelps and William Hamilton Merritt also helped this community purchase the land for the British Methodist Episcopal Church, or Salem Chapel. The church was later built in 1855 and played an important role in abolitionist activity in Niagara.

In this 1852 Marcus Smith map of St. Catharines, you can clearly see Calvin Phelps’ house at 18 Geneva St. Note how the formal gardens and fountain have been included on the map. Note also how much property surrounding the estate is own by Phelps, including the mill on the corner of Geneva and Mill streets.

Credit: Brock University Archives & Special Collections.

Sometime between the arrival of the Phelps family in the 1820s and one of the first mentions of the estate in 1856, the site of the arena was cleared of the pine trees and became the residence of Oliver Phelps’ son, Calvin Phelps.

Like his father, Calvin Phelps (1818-1893) was also a notable St. Catharines figure who contributed to the local economy and society. He was a member of the town council from 1850-1856, served as a magistrate, and was elected the first president of the St. Catharines Horticultural Society (renamed the Garden City Gardeners in 2022), founded in 1857.

According to this map from 1852, the estate was large and elaborate. It would have provided a comfortable home for Phelps and his family. Phelps' brother, Oliver Seymour Phelps, who wrote under the pen-name “Junius,” provided extensive commentary on St. Catharines society in his series of articles, "A Walk Around Town," published in the St. Catharines Journal in 1856-1857. In one article, Junius noted: "our J.P.’s [Justice of Peace’s] and Esqur’s residences are, for the most part, elegant edifices, gorgeously furnished, neatly adjusted, and conveniently arranged; the largest, finest, first and most expensive of which is Calvin Phelps, J.P., on Geneva St."

In 1868, Calvin Phelps and his family left the Niagara Region, returning to live in the United States. Although the reasons for their departure are unclear, it seems that "something unpleasant happened" to cause this event.

Photo of Charles Riordon’s house (formerly Calvin Phelps’ house), published in a horticultural journal in 1899 (date of the photograph is unknown).

Credit: St. Catharines Public Library.

Sometime following the departure of Calvin Phelps, the Riordon family moved into his estate.

Charles Riordon (1847-1931) was another influential member of St. Catharines society. He was a leading figure in to the paper mill industry, both in the city and eventually across the continent. The Riordons were also involved in the newspaper business, taking over the Toronto Mail in 1877 and establishing the Toronto Evening News in 1881.

While the Riordons occupied the site of the arena for a number of years, Charles and his wife eventually sold the land in 1921 as a result of financial difficulties.

The property was purchased by the City of St. Catharines and the estate buildings were torn down. The land became Riordon Park. In 1938 construction began on the Garden City Arena.