The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1984, Side 27

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
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was built in 1904 to replace the church
on Pacific Ave. It had a seating capa-
city of 300 people.
The general area of Sargent Ave. be-
tween McGee and Beverley Sts. contains a
high concentration of Icelandic historical
sites. You might consider parking your car
in this area, and spending some time
leisurely exploring the area on foot.
37. GOOD TEMPLAR’S HALL (635
Sargent Ave., NW comer at McGee
St.). Built in 1906/07 by the two
Icelandic Good Templar’s Lodges in
Manitoba, “Hekla” (est. 1887) and
“Skuld” (est. 1888), this hall (“Goolie
Hall”) was the centre of most of the
social/community activity in the Ice-
landic district which took place outside
of the churches. The Icelandic Na-
tional League was founded here in
1919, and long held their meetings in
its halls. When it was built, “Hekla”
was the largest Good Templar lodge in
Western Canada, with “Skuld” a close
second! It is now a Canadian Order
of Foresters (C.O.F.) Hall.
38. “VOROLD” OFFICES (637 Sargent
Ave.). “Vorold” was a short-lived,
labour-oriented (socialist), Icelandic
weekly newspaper founded by Dr. Sig.
Jul. Johannesson, and was published
during the period 1917-21. Its offices
at this site were share with a billiard
parlour.
39. OLAFUR S. THORGEIRSSON OF-
FICES (674 Sargent Ave.). The
“Almanak: Olafur S. Thorgeirsson”
was one of the most important Ice-
landic cultural publications in North
America — providing news of Ice-
landic events during the preceding
year, household hints and climatic
data, and important articles on the his-
tory and genealogy of the Icelanders
in North America. Published between
1895 and 1954, its offices were located
at this site between the two world
wars. Thorgeirsson, who also served
as the “Danish (ie. “Icelandic”) Con-
sul” during a large part of his publish-
ing career, resided at 644 William
Ave. in 1895 when he launched this
annual.
40. FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH,
SINCE 1921 (580 Victor St., sourh of
Sargent Ave.). Originally built by the
Tabernacle Church in 1914, it was
acquired in 1921 by First Lutheran
after the Tabernacle congregation dis-
integrated following the death of Rev.
Fridrik J. Bergmann. This was the
third, and current, site of the First
Lutheran Church. This building is cer-
tainly the most impressive of all of the
Icelandic church stmctures in Winni-
peg, and has sometimes been referred
to as the “cathedral” of the Icelandic
Lutherans in North America!
41. WEVEL CAFE, ET AL (Sargent
Ave., between Victor and Toronto
Sts.). This city block is packed with
Icelandic history! The “Wevel Cafe”
(692 Sargent) is — or should be —
well known to everyone who grew up
on the Sargent Ave. of the 1940s and
earlier. Icelanders would meet here for
coffee and conversation (argument?)
following church each Sunday — and
often regularly for the same on the
intervening six days! Next door (at
696) was a billiard parlour which
boasted a “Gents”, a pay phone and
4-5 pool tables, along with a tradi-
tion of continual name changes —
including “Samuel J. Samson Pool
room” (1922), “Helgi Johnson Bil-
liards” (1925), “Viking Billiards”
(1945), and, most inappropriately, the
“Falcon Athletic Club” (1940). Next
to the pool hall, “Asgeirson’s Paints”
had established itself (698 Sargent) by
1945 — and is today the only real rem-