The LSPU Hall is a large wooden structure in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Located on 3 Victoria Street, it is currently the home of the

Resource Centre for the Arts Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their av ...

(RCA). The name comes from a previous owner, the Longshoremen's Protective Union (not to be confused with the

Fisherman's Protective Union The Fishermen's Protective Union (sometimes called the Fisherman's Protective Union, the FPU, The Union or the Union Party) was a workers' organisation and political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The development of the FPU mirrored tha ...

). The Hall is a registered heritage building. In its mission statement the Resource Centre for the Arts states that it "aims to provide accessible, supportive and well-resourced programs and venues, with a primary focus on the creation, development, and advancement of the performing arts in Newfoundland and Labrador". Many prominent artists from Newfoundland and Labrador have performed at the Hall, including Mary Walsh, Andy Jones, Rick Mercer, Bob Joy,

Jillian Keiley Jillian Keiley is a director from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, who was the founding artistic director of ''Artistic Fraud'' ''of Newfoundland''. Since August 2012, Keiley has been the artistic direc ...

Allan Hawco Allan Hawco is a Canadian writer, actor, and producer from Bell Island, Newfoundland. He is best known for his roles in the series '' Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'', ''Republic of Doyle'', and '' The Book of Negroes'', and the television limited seri ...

and Danielle Irvine.

History

The LSPU Hall is on the site of "the first

Congregationalist Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

in Newfoundland" that was built in 1789. After that was destroyed by the

Great Fire of 1817 Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, a meeting hall was built on the site, which was purchased by the

Sons of Temperance The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. The group was founded in 1842 in New York City. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts o ...

in 1853. This meeting hall was destroyed by the

Great Fire of 1892 The Great Fire of 8 July 1892 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is remembered as the worst disaster ever to befall that city. Previous "Great Fires" had occurred in St. John's, during 1819 and 1846. Timeline At approximately 4:45 in the ...

and rebuilt. The Longshoremen’s Protective Union purchased the building from the Sons of Temperance in 1912, to be used as their union hall. There was another fire in 1922, when the building was extensively damaged. Subsequently "the building was used for both union meetings and local activities including speeches and bingo". The Resource Foundation for the Arts was founded by The Mummers Troupe who helped purchase, renovate and develop the LSPU Hall as a downtown St. John's performance centre. The RFA started leasing the building in 1975 and bought in 1976, The Mummers Troupe was founded in the autumn of 1972 by Chris Brookes and Lynn Lunde, and is best known for their performances of the "Traditional Newfoundland Christmas Mummers Play" every December from 1972 to 1982. The Hall is now "one of the most important centres for the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador". The LSPU Hall is a registered heritage building "because of its historical and architectural values". This followed renovations done to "enhancing its heritage features" in 1984. There were further major renovations in 2008. While the interior of the building "has been extensively changed over the years", the exterior is "virtually unchanged since 1922". There are also remains of the original stone foundation walls from the Congregational Church built in 1789. Its plain architectural style is typical of early twentieth century Newfoundland meeting halls.Canada's Historic Places.

References

External links

Resource Centre for the Arts

Canada's Historic Places
{{coord, 47.56613, -52.706491, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts centres in Canada