Victoria House Museum/Centennial Museum
Eldon House is London’s only heritage house museum, but it was not the first. The first was Victoria House Museum which was located on Dufferin Ave. where City Hall is currently situated. In 1937 there was a push from history enthusiasts in London to establish historical museums in order to preserve our history, but also for tourism. The London Middlesex Historical Society decided to gather artifacts from London’s history for eventual display. They gathered 14 items that spoke to London’s past, including a seat from the Steamboat Victoria and an 1860s picture of the Covent Garden Market. The Historical Society stored these items at the London Public Library on Queens Ave.
On May 20, 1958, City council approved the creation of a historic house museum, using some of the items collected in the 1930s. The location was a historic house that was originally used by Metropolitan United Church to house one of its ministers. On November 7, 1958, Victoria House Museum was opened by Mayor Allan Johnston.
The museum was a success, interpreting early London life, and at the onset of 1963, the London Public Library assumed control of the museum. This was a common practice in the 1960s with other historic buildings including Eldon House coming under the Library’s control. The London Public Library and historical societies made several improvements to the site, including opening a small children’s museum on the second floor of the house on December 18, 1963. Unfortunately, this building would be short lived with Canada’s centennial on the horizon.
In the mid-1960s there were discussions all over Canada on how to celebrate the centennial of Confederation. In London, there was great enthusiasm from City officials who wanted to mark the occasion by adding to the city’s infrastructure. The proposed project was termed Centennial Square, and was a revitalization of the area across from Victoria Park from Dufferin to Princess Ave, and from Waterloo to Wellington St. The plan was to create a new City Hall as well as a new auditorium and parking lot. Buildings in this section, including Victoria House Museum, were set to be demolished. Victoria House Museum and its artifacts were moved into a 1870s house on Queens Ave near the Library while a new venue was established.
Culture and library workers in the city recommended building a new museum to celebrate Canada’s Centennial. The building was intended to be next to the library’s location at 305 Queens Ave and would update displays from Victoria House Museum as well as add new elements. Though a fantastic idea, City council decided to focus their energy on building Centennial Hall, and the original plan was abandoned. However, passionate community members decided the museum was a good idea, and members of the London Building Trades Council banded together with the local historical society and London Public Library to create a small 1-story maple leaf shaped museum on Queens Ave. The temporary museum was demolished and donated materials were used to create the structure. Centennial Museum as it was called, opened after Canada’s centennial, on May 9, 1969. This museum was technologically advanced with interactives like telephones that had pre-recorded sound interpreting London’s history. The tour guides for this museum were shared with Eldon House, with many of our early staff having set day shifts at either location!
Though this museum was a testament to Londoner’s civic pride and participation with history, it did not last long. Centennial Museum closed its doors in December 1986, and its collection was moved to Museum London. Between 1989-1999 was a branch for Information London. The building was demolished on August 31, 2005.