Rodman Hall Art Centre fonds, 1958-2019, n.d.
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Cameron, Chantal
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Abstract
Fonds consists of material acquired by Brock University during the time that Rodman Hall was owned and operated by the University and from the time that it was owned by the St. Catharines and District Arts Council. Much of the material concerns plans for the renovation of Rodman Hall and the fundraising efforts associated with those projects. This includes correspondence, financial statements, and minutes. Other material concerns the collections, exhibitions, and programming at Rodman Hall. This includes programs, news clippings, and promotional material. Information about the building and grounds are also included with some architectural plans and building specifications.
Description
Rodman Hall was built Thomas Rodman Merritt (1824-1906), the youngest son of William Hamilton Merritt and Catherine Prendergast. Merritt married Mary Benson in 1853. He built a grand home in St. Catharines on an extensive plot of land. Construction began around 1857 and was completed in 1863. The house became known as Rodman Hall and is located close to the junction of Twelve Mile Creek and the Second Welland Canal. Initially, the property was designed as a large garden that resembled a park. By 1852, the landscaped grounds were completed. Remnants of the garden remain today, thriving in the sheltered climate of the Twelve Mile Creek valley. In the first phase of the home's construction from 1857 to 1860, the original or west wing was built. When Merritt's older brother William Hamilton Merritt Jr. died in 1860, building materials intended for construction of a house in Montebello Park were sent to Rodman Hall to be used. That same year construction on the east wing began, which was completed in 1863. Other minor renovations were made over the years, including the addition of dormer windows and installation of stained-glass windows on the central staircase.
The house remained in the Merritt family until 1959 when it was purchased by the St. Catharines and District Arts Council. Peter Harris served as the curator and director for many years. The Council established a public art centre at Rodman Hall after a fundraising campaign to purchase and renovate the house. A new gallery was added that adjoined the former drawing room. It was used as a music studio as well as for art exhibition.
Rodman Hall became the centre for visual arts in the Niagara Peninsula. Exhibitions by local artists were held, as well as retrospective shows of James Morrice, David Milne and Emily Carr. A display of artwork by children from local public schools became an annual event. The visual arts program was supplemented by Sunday concerts, children’s theatre and evening film and lecture series. As the programs and services expanded, the facilities at Rodman Hall became increasingly inadequate. Further renovations were undertaken in 1974 after National Museums of Canada announced that Rodman Hall had been selected as a National Exhibition Centre. The expanded art centre was designed primarily as an art gallery as opposed to a facility for the performing arts, as Rodman Hall was not able to accommodate the needs of many performing arts groups. Accordingly, there was less need for an Arts Council and the name of the administering organization was changed from the St. Catharines and District Arts Council to Rodman Hall Art Centre.
Brock University acquired Rodman Hall in 2003 and continued to use it as an art gallery. During this time, the quality of the programming and publications were acknowledged nationally and provincially with several awards. The Department of Visual Arts also had a strong relationship with Rodman Hall. Students had the opportunity to use the studio space and participate in an annual graduate show curated by faculty and staff. In 2020, the university reached an agreement with community partners that saw the art collection return to community ownership and the property redeveloped by a local group known for heritage building restoration and redevelopment.