On the waterfront

By MIKE FILEY

With all the talk these days about the revitalization of Toronto's waterfront there is a project already underway that is quietly reviving one of the city's landmarks from the days of the big bands.

Walter Dean was a master boat-builder who ran a small factory on the Humber Bay shoreline at the south end of Parkdale. His beautiful Sunnyside Torpedo canoes were known far and wide. When the Toronto Harbour Commission began to implement its 1911 plan to revitalize Toronto's western waterfront, Dean had to move until the work of filling in the old Humber Bay was complete.

He set up shop for a time near the foot of York St., then in 1921 returned to the Harbour Commission's newly created waterfront out Sunnyside way where he constructed a new building in which to continue building his canoes. To supplement his boat-building business, he also operated a small restaurant on the main floor where dances were occasionally held. Dean's business failed in 1922, the same year the adjacent Sunnyside Amusement Park opened. It was then that a new company called Palais Royale Limited took over the building and continued to operate the place as both a restaurant and boat livery.

In 1928, the company tried to turn the place into a high- class supper club. But that didn't work and, for a time, the building, now known to most Torontonians as the Palais Royale, was boarded up. Then in 1932, a pair of amusement park concessionaires, Bill Cuthbert and George Deller reopened the place as a dance hall. The dance band they hired was Harry Beddlington and his Whispering Orchestra. Admission was 25c, plus a charge of 10c a dance. But with money being tight (the Depression, you know), the place was just too expensive. Again the Palais was in trouble.

10c admission

Into the picture stepped Joe Broderick, who brought with him one of the city's most popular bands, one that he just happened to be managing. The combination of Bert Niosi and his Orchestra, a reduced 10c admission and nickel a dance policy quickly turned things around. Then Broderick decided to try something new, at least for Torontonians. He brought one of the biggest of all the American dance bands to the Palais and on an early September evening in 1933, Eddie Duchin and his Park Central Orchestra filled the place to overflowing with nearly 3,000 fans. The Palais Royale became THE place in town to hear and dance to the big bands.

Over the following years, virtually all the name bands from south of the border made the trip north to the Palais. Some of the busiest years at the Palais Royale were those of World War II what with servicemen and women eager to celebrate before going overseas. But with the end of the war came changing habits, the closing of the amusement park, television sets and the Gardiner Expressway. Soon the Palais Royale was seen as an out-of-the-way place with no future. The question was what would come first, planned demolition or premeditated fire. As it has turned out however, a trio of young entrepreneurs has stepped in and with special regard for the old dance hall's historic past, the Palais Royale will soon come back to life.

Note: As a special feature of this year's Doors Open, the Palais Royale will be open from noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 28.

The Toronto Aerospace Museum's Wings & Wheels Heritage Festival at Downsview Park, May 26-28, continues to attract new participants. The event will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the DHC-1 Chipmunk training aircraft which was the Toronto company's first successful postwar aircraft design. The Chipmunk became the primary military training aircraft in more than two dozen nations.

A total of more than 20 Chipmunk owners have indicated they will fly to Downsview for a grand homecoming. Other aircraft are expected ranging from Tiger Moth biplanes and Beavers to a FBA-2 bush plane, a Dash 8 trainer and Bombardier's Downsview-assembled Q400 airliner and Global Express business jet. Also expected are a Griffon helicopter from No. 400 Squadron and an OPP TwinStar. A dozen Toronto-area classic car clubs have indicated they will also participate and, weather permitting, there should be about 100 cars on show each day.

Visit the Toronto Aerospace Museum website torontoaerospacemuseum.com.