Queen’s Park has a long and very colourful history that encompasses a tremendous range of topics and themes. In December of 2016, a new item was added to the story of this park with the collapse of the Arenex.
Over the ensuing months, there has been much discussion about the loss of this structure, how it might be replaced, what needs to be replaced, where it might be rebuilt, how its former location could be put to good use and so on. There have also been questions directed to us about the history of the specific site where the Arenex once stood.
The basic area of the Arenex was, over the years, the location of a number of small structures accommodating specific exhibition, park and community needs. At various dates we could see a dairy building, an old banquet hall, a manual training school, a simple frame all-purpose structure, a tent supply structure, and an entrance to the sideshow “Sockeye Run” entertainment zone.
This is but a sampling of the types of things that could be found in Queen’s Park and were part of the landscape in which the Arenex was located. We have not come too far up to date so have not included teen dances and concerts, antique and collectible shows, automobile shows, many sponsored events, long lists of special festivities, visits, celebrations and on and on.
The Arenex was an important part of Queen’s Park history, and it will be missed, but it still holds its place as a valued piece of this story.
