Pop-up photo art created by Lesley Walker Fitzpatrick tells a hotel story. Her photos honour the history and heritage of the Dominion House Bar & Grill. The public house was built in Stratford, Ontario, in 1865. Lesley took her 280 photographs in the last week of the establishment’s operation. The pop-up photo art hangs on a chain link fence that surrounds the vacant lot where the hotel once stood.
The exhibit title for photos taken during the last week of the hotel’s operation
The Dominion House Bar & Grill as she was
Dominion House Bar & Grill on the south side of the tracks
Lesley Walker Fitzpatrick
Photos lit up by the setting sun
The photos, crisp and clear in the setting sunlight of a late December day, depict the love and loyalty of the hotel patrons and staff.
Faces of patrons
The hotel kitchen
The building is gone
Lesley making sure her gift of love does not disappear with the wind
Each day, Lesley battles the weather to tighten the fasteners on her photos. The string of photographs recreates the camaraderie and community of the hotel.
So good to bump into Lesley along the fence
Neighbours, hotel patrons, passersby, and pop-up art appreciators stop to take in the exhibit.
Other Stratford stories:
Hello
I am scanning an old series done by the Beacon on the “Streets of Stratford” in the 1980 by Stanford Dingman and plan to put them on a web site, I am an old Stratfordite. I would like to add the history of Dominion House to the Guelph Street part. Could you provide me with a history, maybe pictures and tell me when it was torn down? I would credit you.
Best regards
Paul Wilker
Ottawa
John adomauskas owned the dominion from 1969 to 75. He ..my..father was the one who made the initial major interior and exterior renovations .In the basement old bottles and lanterns were found. by myself and local newspapers took pictures and wrote a story
The tavern was hugely successful during that period. I myself worked the weekends and summers as I was a student.i can say that I have nothing but the fondest memories of all our clientelle. everyone knew everyone else and it was more of a family get together. Stratford people during that period were just amazing .various sports teams were sponsored as well as a hunting and fishing club. I was saddened when my parents decided to sell it for personal reasons.
It truly was a great great bar
I was shocked a few yrs back when I went to visit the hotel after so many years only to find it torn down
talking to locals it seemed that age caught up to the floor structure and the owner thought it just wasn’t feasible to repair it. business at that point had fallen off