After 94 years of owning its own space, Moose Jaw’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 59 has sold its building and is now leasing out the bottom floor.
Discussions about selling the High Street West structure have taken place for several years, but the decision to sell occurred during the September general meeting, explained legion president Sharon Erickson. The building was sold to the new owners about a month ago, with the owners to take possession on May 1.
“The building was too big for our needs,” she said. “The cost of operating a building that is 94 years old was hurting us financially. We thought it was prudent to look for an alternative operation.”
The legion’s goal is to have a smaller location of its own in the future. The organization signed a five-year lease with the new owners, with the option to move out early if a new location is found.
Selling the building wasn’t tough from a financial perspective, but it was emotionally difficult for all branch members to agree to the sale considering the legion has owned the building since 1926, Erickson said.
The original legion began as the Great War Veterans Association and met in a house on Cordova Street across from Grant Hall. That group stayed there until the legion’s building on High Street West was constructed.
The building met the legion’s needs fairly well, especially when there were 1,400 members, said Erickson. It was full all the time and there were regular activities. At one point, the third floor served as a home for needy First World War veterans. However, as membership decreased, the lounge and office in the basement became the most-used places in the building.
It’s been years since the third floor was used for anything important, she added. It simply became a place to store items.
As part of the sale, the legion will no longer have access to the main floor hall, but it will be able to access the kitchen for its suppers on Friday nights. This is a positive trade-off, Erickson agreed, since the new owners have accommodated the legion’s needs. The organization is still able to use the common area on the main floor, including the elevator.
As part of the sale, the legion has to clean out all of its items on the second and third floors. Erickson and other members have spent time recently packing up items, taking inventory and sorting what to keep, what to throw away, what to sell and what to donate.
Some of the military medals will be sent to the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon, while other items related to the Snowbirds could be sent to the Moose Jaw WDM.
A board of trustees oversees the legion property. The trustees have to approve the sale or disposal of anything of value before the items can be dealt with.
Erickson and those members cleaning out the top floor came across some interesting artifacts. They discovered plenty of memorabilia, including medals, pictures and helmets from soldiers from the First and Second World wars, pictures of Queen Elizabeth II, a piano that cannot be tuned, and two firearms.
One firearm is a .303 Lee-Enfield rifle while a second is a war pistol. The legion can keep the rifle but has to ensure it is deactivated first. The pistol was given to the police for safekeeping until the legion can make the firearm inoperable and legal to keep.
The future looks much brighter for the legion since the sale helps make the organization more financially stable, said Erickson. The sale will also help the legion build a fund so it can replace the current building with something more modern and efficient.
“Our membership is staying strong,” she added. “Last year we ended the year with 625 members. It seems to be on par this year with the same number.
“There’s always hope.”
