Tuesday Treasures

Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Toronto ON


The IOOF Hall in Toronto is a historic building erected for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows society. The building was designed for mix-use accommodating over 34 offices, a store selling imported and domestic cigars, and most importantly a 20’ wide by 46’ long grand hall for private meetings held by Toronto’s Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It was the first society hall in Toronto to be built with an electrically run elevator running up from the ground floor to the 3rd floor society rooms.

Now a Starbucks...

Oddfellows’ Hall is located on the northwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street. The building was designed as an adaptation of the Gothic Revival style by Norman Dick and Frank Wickson in 1891 and was completed in 1893.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd Fellows founded in England during the 1700s, the IOOF was originally chartered by the Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity in England but has operated as an independent organization since 1842, although it maintains an inter-fraternal relationship with the English Order. The order is also known as the Triple Link Fraternity, referring to the order's "Triple Links" symbol, alluding to its motto "Friendship, Love and Truth".

The fourth floor on the south side has pointed gables, similar to a French chateau, and there are octagonal towers on both corners of the east facade that faces Yonge Street.

Victoria BC

Denver CO

Midland ON

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows became the first fraternity in the United States to include both men and women when it adopted the "Beautiful Rebekah Degree" on September 20, 1851, by initiative of Schuyler Colfax, later Vice-President of the United States.