The transformation of Odeon / Triangle Park is complete!

© 2024, Christian Cassidy

I wrote in detail about the history of Odeon / Triangle Park in a blog post back in February 2023 and a column in July 2023 and noted that it was about to undergo a transformation from a traffic island to a curbside boulevard park. That work is now done!

The triangular piece of land at Smith Street and Notre Dame Avenue was part of the back end of the Grace Church property at Ellice Avenue and Notre Dame Street. The city had wanted it since the 1890s so that it could connect Smith and King streets to create another route from the retail district on Portage Avenue to the warehouse district (what we now call the Exchange District.) It wasn't until the church fell into financial trouble in the 1930s that it agreed to sell.

The city joined the two streets in 1936 and the traffic island was created. In the early 1970s and again in the early 1990s it was modified to give it more of a park-like setting.

The park space hasn't disappeared completely.

A piece of land even larger in size than the traffic island was moved over and merged with the sidewalk on the west side of Smith Street. The space, now sodded, contains some picnic benches and a temporary public art installation.

The only remnant left of the old park is a single elm tree that manged to make the transition.

This space has never had a formal name. In most newspaper references it was just called the triangular traffic island on Smith Street and on the odd occasion "Odeon Park" as the Walker Theatre was known as the Odeon Cinema from 1945 to 1990. Some city archives photos refer to it as "Triangle Park".

I am not a huge fan of naming things after people but some people love that sort of thing. Before a city councillor or True North (which operates the Burton Cummings Theatre) show up at a committee meeting to push through naming it for a politician or a hockey player, I think it would be appropriate, considering their theatre has lost their name, to call it Corliss and Henrietta Walker Park, or green, or boulevard, or whatever a curbside piece of lawn is called.

Corliss and Henrietta Walker were the husband and wife team who uprooted their U.S.-based theatre circuit and relocated its headquarters to Winnipeg and had this theatre built. Corliss got most of the accolades but the two were partners. He did the finances and she booked the talent, (including the famous Mock Parliament in 1914.)

The Walkers were a huge part of Winnipeg's cultural, social and business life during their era.

Related:
My Flickr album of Odeon / Triangle Park
Triangular park on Smith Street dates back nearly 90 years West End Dumplings
Odeon Park to lose 'island' status Free Press Community Review