“In the midst of the grumbling incident on the flat state of commercial affairs, caused by the policy of the late Administration, there was one gentleman at least who had good hopes for the future, and that was Mr. H. J. Larkin, late Dominion emigration agent in Dublin.”
Spectator. July 15, 1879.
On July 15, 1879, the Hamilton Spectator ran an article about a recently-completed brick building on the east side of John street, just north of King street.
The new structure had been called Larkin Hall, in honor of its developer, Mr. Henry J. Larkin.
Three stories in height, with a fine, mansard roof, Larkin Hall, according to the Spectator, “decidedly improved the appearance of the street.”
Hamilton’s own James Balfour was the architect of Larkin Hall. His design was an accommodation of the various uses Mr. Larkin had in mind for the various floors of the building.
On the ground floor were spaces for four separate stores, each with its own plate glass windows on the street side, and each with separate cellars with cement floors.
On the second floor, space for four offices was provided, and as described in the article, the offices “were such as might be occupied by a king, presenting a light and cheerful appearance, with abundance of provision for keeping up a stock of light and fresh air, and supllied with wash hand basins and other conveniences.”
The third floor was “a commodious hall, for concerts, public meetings, theatres, etc.” and was capable of seating 400 people. The hall was well-lighted by large windows both on the west and east sides of the hall, as well as four quadrangular sky lights in the ceiling.
The hall on the third floor was an excellent assembly room for mid-sized audiences. In case of fire, the hall could be cleared quickly: “the stairs leading to it, give ample room for a large assemblage to disperse in the shortest possible time.”
The opening event at the Larkin Hall assembly area was a free concert on July 15, 1879. The Sacred Philharmonic Society chorus was asked by Mr. Larkin to perform with a view of testing the acoustic properties of the hall.
The construction of Larkin Hall was seen by many in Hamilton as a symbol of the feeling of progress and prosperity that had swept over the city since the National Policy had been introduced to encourage Canadian industry.
The Spectator hoped that the addition of Larkin Hall to the city’s stock of impressive buildings would “encourage other capitalists to expend their wealth in improving and embellishing the city as Mr. Larkin has so successfully done.”
During Hamilton’s late Victorian era, the Larkin Hall assembly room was the location of many memorable events, including in the summer of 1882, the first Hamilton appearance of the Salvation army.
Late in the summer of 1882, posters were put up all over the city announcing the first Hamilton meeting of the Salvation Army to be held at Larkin Hall. In black lettering on yellow paper, the poster boldly informed the public that “The Salvation Army Is Coming!”
Larkin Hall was filled to capacity with curiosity seekers, eager to witness the Salvation Army’s novel, and energetic, methods of spreading the good news of the gospel.
Before the scheduled starting time of the meeting, Salvation Army Captain Freer attracted considerable attention by marching his band of followers around Gore Park. Both Captain Freer and his troops shouted out declarations of their faith and purpose as they marched along.
Joseph Tinsley who witnessed the initial appearance of the Salvation Army on the streets of Hamilton wrote in the Herald many years later that the captain “shouted and sang, and his followers gave vent to boisterous exclamations. Someone standing by said, ‘Oh, come along, he’s full.’ A similar expression was made in the apostle’s time with this distinction – instead of using the word ‘full’ the listeners said ‘come along, they are filled with new wine.’ ”
Inside Larkin Hall, Tinsley wrote that “the goings on were as good as a circus.”
However, not everyone who attended the meeting made fun of the Salvationists, Tinsley noting that “some who came to scoff, and stayed to pray.”
Many were so moved by the meeting that they took the opportunity to declare their sins publicly. Thomas Stout who, since he had run away from home as a boy, had led what Tinsley called a “fast life … but he was the first to run the gauntlet of ridicule and became the first Salvation soldier in Hamilton.”
On January 17, 1883, Larkin Hall was the site of Hamilton’s first cake walk. As described in the press, “a cake walk is something new in this city, but it is a very interesting and amusing performance.”
A large crowd, consisting mainly of those, in the Spectator’s words, “of the colored persuasion,” gathered to witness the event.
The purpose of the gathering, chaired by Rev. Mr. Roberts, of the British Methodist Episcopal Church, was to raise funds to pay off that church’s debt.
After an introductory musical entertainment, the side benches of the hall were removed to make room for the walkers.
Each “walker” would pay an entrance fee of ten cents, and when the music began, the walker could choose any lady in the hall to walk with him.
Three judges, including Mr. Larkin, were selected to choose the most graceful pair of walkers and to award them the first prize.
A Times reporter in the hall wrote that there was “a magnificent three storey cake placed on the stage within sight of the contestants and the audience. This was the prize for the pair who would move the most gracefully around the hall.”
When the organ struck up the cords of the popular song, “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” the couples walked around the hall.
Mr. W. E. Pearman and his partner were the most outrageous of the walkers, with Pearman described by the Times man as “swinging his shoulders and turning out his toes in a comically exaggerated manner. His performance captured the fancy of many of his friends in the crowd, several of whom shouted out, ‘Pearman grabs the buns!’ ”
After eight laps around the hall, three couples were told to sit down and the remaining couples were asked to promenade around the large room a few more times. The winning couple, James Talbert and Miss Wilson, was then chosen to be the winners.
The cake walk was a great success, and the audience was satisfied with the decision as to the winning couple. According to the Times reporter who stayed to the end, “the cake walking lasted till eleven o’clock, after which there was a general bun feed.”
In early January, 1888, many rather unusual posters were nailed on several telegraph poles in Hamilton’s downtown area.
These posters, written on mourning paper, and encased in frames draped with mourning cloth, announced a public meeting to be held in Larkin Hall.
At the meeting, noted evangelical preacher, Mr. J. I. Best, was prepared to preach “the funeral sermon of the devil.”
Although the January 16, 1888 meeting was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., by 8:20 p.m., Mr. Best had yet to put in an appearance.
The assembled crowd, consisting of about 50 young men and boys, began to get restless.
An unidentified man took the stage to apologize for the speaker’s tardiness, and then the wait continued.
The crowd entertained itself by singing “John Brown’s Body,” Later, a young man helped to relieve the monotony by playing his harmonica.
Finally, Mr. Best arrived, carrying a lamp in one hand, while, in his other hand, he brought in a bundle of documentary evidence to substantiate his contention that, indeed, the devil had died.
After opening the meeting with a prayer, Best addressed the crowd, calling the present age a time of joy because Jesus Christ had disposed of man’s greatest enemy, Satan.
Just as Mr. Best warmed to his subject, some mischievous boys turned off Larkin Hall’s supply of gas, plunging the assembly room into darkness.
Mr. Best tried to continue with his address, but the uproar was so uncontrollable that he was compelled to close the meeting, sending the agitated crowd down the stairs, and back out onto the streets.
Larkin Hall would be the scene of many, many entertainments, lectures, public meetings, debates and other events until the turn of the century when it’s name was changed to Treble Hall and the old assembly hall was subdivided into apartments.
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