New Pier Dance Hall

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#1
Talking with Peggy many years ago, she brought up the topic of the New Pier Dance Hall, from what I have gathered, the hall was located near the canal at what most people remember as the bowling alley.

Attached is a brochure from the hall, showing prices but no address. You could get a bowl of ice for 20 cents, but a sardine sandwich was only 25 cents. Have a sardine sandwich and dance the night away.
 

Attachments

Drogo

Moderator
Feb 8, 2005
402
2
18
#2
My Mom and Dad use to go there. Notice there isn't any booze on the menu. They took their own liquor and bought mix to go in it.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#3
Scott and Drogo, do you know when the Dance Hall was built, and when it was torn down?
And I presume that it would have had live music, as in the form of big bands?
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#4
Scott and Drogo, do you know when the Dance Hall was built, and when it was torn down?
And I presume that it would have had live music, as in the form of big bands?
The big bands would of been down at the Brant Inn if my timelines are correct.
At present I don't have a date for being built, but it burned down in the 80's and I believe the building beside it, the Cottage Inn, burned down the year before right after a late night thunder storm.
I have attached a couple of pictures from 1980 showing both buildings which are clearly vacant.
 

Attachments

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#6
Scott,
This thread refers to a bowling alley on the beach that was located at 1150, beside which was located the Pier Dance Pavilion. Was this the same dance hall?
http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-637.html
I don't know if Paul Wilson was quite right on that one unless there were different timelines. North of the bowling alley was the Cottage Inn with a driveway in between, to the south of the bowling alley was a driveway that led to the admin office for the amusement park and located south of the driveway was a bathroom building which was very old. I assume the bowling alley was the dance hall.
Something else to check.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#7
Scott, maybe the answer is in old telephone books possibly at the Hamilton Public Library Local History and Archives. A telephone book from the 1980's that lists the 'New Pier Dance Hall, might give the address. And so working back through telephone books from previous years, might have a listing for the 'Pier Dance Pivilion'. If the address for both is the same, then we would know that we are talking about the same 'building' but, just by a different name.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#8
Scott, maybe the answer is in old telephone books possibly at the Hamilton Public Library Local History and Archives. A telephone book from the 1980’s that lists the ‘New Pier Dance Hall, might give the address. And so working back through telephone books from previous years, might have a listing for the ‘Pier Dance Pivilion’. If the address for both is the same, then we would know that we are talking about the same ‘building’ but, just by a different name.
The dance hall is from (my guess) the 1940's and the listings for Hamilton back in day were for Hamilton only, the Beach was on it's own and not part of Hamilton. It was the bowling alley for as far back as I remember and that would be the 1960's.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#10
Scott, "The big bands would of been down at the Brant Inn if my timelines are correct.
At present I don't have a date for being built, but it burned down in the 80's and I believe the building beside it, the Cottage Inn, burned down the year before right after a late night thunder storm.
I have attached a couple of pictures from 1980 showing both buildings which are clearly vacant."

Scott, you don't seem to say anything about the Cottage Inn on the 'Hotels on the Beach' thread. Do you have any information as to when this building was built?
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#11
Scott, “The big bands would of been down at the Brant Inn if my timelines are correct.
At present I don't have a date for being built, but it burned down in the 80's and I believe the building beside it, the Cottage Inn, burned down the year before right after a late night thunder storm.
I have attached a couple of pictures from 1980 showing both buildings which are clearly vacant.”

Scott, you don’t seem to say anything about the Cottage Inn on the ‘Hotels on the Beach’ thread. Do you have any information as to when this building was built?
It was there as far back as I remember and I recall the days it was open for business and I don't have a built date, but like the Angus Inn, it wasn't a hotel.
 

Attachments

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#12
Scott, so the Cottage Inn was strictly an eating establishment? Maybe we need a thread on all of the eating establishments that were on the beach.
 

Drogo

Moderator
Feb 8, 2005
402
2
18
#13
OK I have been busy and unable to get to this thread. Unless I was really deaf and my memory is totally gone the Pier was a BIG dance hall. I was under the impression it was the same building as the Bowling Alley where I spent alot of time by the way. As I said my Mother and Father went there alot. From the stories I remember there were lots of Big Bands and Mom sometimes got up and sang with them. I think the height of the Pier was long before the height of the Brant Inn. It is an unfair assumption to just take it for granted that the Brant Inn would get the entertainment.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Boulevard_(Hamilton,_Ontario)
In 1903 a Mr. H.Knapman formed the Canadian Amusement Company and opened up an Amusement park, (1903-1978), on Burlington Beach, which today is known as Hamilton Beach. It featured boats, boathouses, swings & slides, snack bars and a fun house named the "Crazy House". Shortly thereafter carrousels and a ferris wheel were added and by the 1950s a small roller coaster and pony rides were included in the parks' inventory.[4] Roller skaters and dancers whirled across open-air, wooden dance floor. The dance floor became the foundation for the Pier Ballroom. Sunday-evening talent contests were popular and famous artists - Ozzie Nelson, the Clooney Sisters and Duke Ellington played there. In 1978 the City of Hamilton did not renew the Canal Amusement Park lease. One by one, the rides and attractions were sold.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#15
scotto
11-28-2013, 05:20 PM
"Talking with Peggy many years ago, she brought up the topic of the New Pier Dance Hall, from what I have gathered, the hall was located near the canal at what most people remember as the bowling alley.

Attached is a brochure from the hall, showing prices but no address. You could get a bowl of ice for 20 cents, but a sardine sandwich was only 25 cents. Have a sardine sandwich and dance the night away."

Scott,

Your thread 'News Paper Articles From 1954' gives an address of 1150 Beach Boulevard, for the New Pier 'Ball Room'.

"Two Charged Following Raid On Bingo Game
Move Claimed Result Of Letter To Ottawa
Two men appeared in Dundas Police Court this morning charged with keeping a common gaming house following a raid by a provincial police anti-gambling squad, on the New Pier Ballroom, 1150 Beach Boulevard.
The raid is believed to have followed a letter sent by a business citizen to the Minister of Justice in Ottawa, alleging that bingos were held on the premises, contrary to the Criminal Code."
http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2230.html


This must have been 'the New Pier Dance Hall.


________________________________________
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#16
Drogo
12-14-2013, 01:38 AM
OK I have been busy and unable to get to this thread. Unless I was really deaf and my memory is totally gone the Pier was a BIG dance hall. I was under the impression it was the same building as the Bowling Alley where I spent alot of time by the way. As I said my Mother and Father went there alot. From the stories I remember there were lots of Big Bands and Mom sometimes got up and sang with them. I think the height of the Pier was long before the height of the Brant Inn. It is an unfair assumption to just take it for granted that the Brant Inn would get the entertainment.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Boulevard_(Hamilton,_Ontario)
In 1903 a Mr. H.Knapman formed the Canadian Amusement Company and opened up an Amusement park, (1903-1978), on Burlington Beach, which today is known as Hamilton Beach. It featured boats, boathouses, swings & slides, snack bars and a fun house named the "Crazy House". Shortly thereafter carrousels and a ferris wheel were added and by the 1950s a small roller coaster and pony rides were included in the parks' inventory.[4] Roller skaters and dancers whirled across open-air, wooden dance floor. The dance floor became the foundation for the Pier Ballroom. Sunday-evening talent contests were popular and famous artists - Ozzie Nelson, the Clooney Sisters and Duke Ellington played there. In 1978 the City of Hamilton did not renew the Canal Amusement Park lease. One by one, the rides and attractions were sold.
________________________________________
scotto
12-14-2013, 04:32 PM
So Paul Wilson has it wrong, there were not two different places, it was the same building?"

And here is the final word.
"Another big changeover is the new pier which for so many years was a popular dance hall, then for a short period used for bingo games and now will soon open as a modern 10-alley bowling establishment."

http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2230.html

________________________________________

Drogo
12-14-2013, 01:38 AM
OK I have been busy and unable to get to this thread. Unless I was really deaf and my memory is totally gone the Pier was a BIG dance hall. I was under the impression it was the same building as the Bowling Alley where I spent alot of time by the way. As I said my Mother and Father went there alot. From the stories I remember there were lots of Big Bands and Mom sometimes got up and sang with them. I think the height of the Pier was long before the height of the Brant Inn. It is an unfair assumption to just take it for granted that the Brant Inn would get the entertainment.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Boulevard_(Hamilton,_Ontario)
In 1903 a Mr. H.Knapman formed the Canadian Amusement Company and opened up an Amusement park, (1903-1978), on Burlington Beach, which today is known as Hamilton Beach. It featured boats, boathouses, swings & slides, snack bars and a fun house named the "Crazy House". Shortly thereafter carrousels and a ferris wheel were added and by the 1950s a small roller coaster and pony rides were included in the parks' inventory.[4] Roller skaters and dancers whirled across open-air, wooden dance floor. The dance floor became the foundation for the Pier Ballroom. Sunday-evening talent contests were popular and famous artists - Ozzie Nelson, the Clooney Sisters and Duke Ellington played there. In 1978 the City of Hamilton did not renew the Canal Amusement Park lease. One by one, the rides and attractions were sold.
________________________________________
scotto
12-14-2013, 04:32 PM
So Paul Wilson has it wrong, there were not two different places, it was the same building?"

And here is the final word.
"Another big changeover is the new pier which for so many years was a popular dance hall, then for a short period used for bingo games and now will soon open as a modern 10-alley bowling establishment."

http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2230.html

________________________________________
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#17
So Paul Wilson has it wrong, there were not two different places, it was the same building?"

And here is the final word.
"Another big changeover is the new pier which for so many years was a popular dance hall, then for a short period used for bingo games and now will soon open as a modern 10-alley bowling establishment."

http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2230.html

________________________________________
Not often that Mr. Wilson is wrong, but I am going with Peggy on this one.
 
Top Bottom