Group Archives | Sweat Equity – The Grimsby Homebuilding Co-operative 1953

Silent video – Blake Footage – Shingling on Stewart Street

In this short clip, someone took John’s camera and filmed Wilf Worley (in white cap) and John Blake (end of clip) shingling houses . With the Niagara Escarpment […]

Sweat Equity Exhibit featured during Doors Open, 2016

Together around the original time clock are (from left) original co-op builder Betty Dale, Mary Marrocco and her mother Rita Marrocco, (author of The Light from One Candle), […]

Father Marrocco and fellow priests blessed each of the 14 homes.

On the completion of their neighbourhood, Father Marrocco and fellow priests blessed the 14 homes of the Family Home Builder Co-operative on Marysfield Dr. near Brampton. With the […]

The Lakedale Co-op worksite

They worked through the winter and by the summer of 1956, all the families would be moved into their co-operatively built homes. Workers would make frequent visits to […]

50th Anniversary of the Sherbrien, Cathedral Heights and Lakedale Co-op Homebuilders.

As they had on the 25th & 30th Anniversaries, they organized a gathering for their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They supplied and served sandwiches. It was a […]

ISA students as co-op builders

It’s important to note that the students of the ISA were motivated by social action, not by the building of houses. The ISA night courses encouraged thought, discussion […]

Marrocco Homebuilding Co-operative Society at a gathering with Father Marrocco

Gerald Clarke, was the chief editor of A Guide to Co-operative Housing, which was researched and created by the adult night school students of the Institute of Social […]

Tompkinsville : North America’s first housing co-operative

The builders and their families named their community “Tompkinsville” to honour Father Jimmy Tompkins, the man who had encouraged their co-operative spirit. Theirs was the first housing co-operative […]

Co-op homebuilding, Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia

The co-operative homebuilders in Reserve Mines studied and prepared for two years, arranging the finances and finally building their first home together, and then the second. All 11 […]

Sherbrien and Cathedral Heights co-operators

Although John Blake captured most of the men at the work site on 8 mm film, this is a rare group photo. Don Gay (far right) is holding […]

Co-op Families on opening day of the “Sweat Equity” Exhibit.

After 2½ years of preparation by co-op daughters and sons and the efforts of the Grimsby Museum staff, the original builders were grateful for a lovely day at […]

Co-op sons collaborated as their fathers had done six decades earlier

The exhibit was designed to create the sense of being on a worksite in an unfinished house. Some of the wood was donated, and the framework sections were […]