Work Archives | Page 2 of 6 | Sweat Equity – The Grimsby Homebuilding Co-operative 1953

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 […]

Parent Tribute Poster

The photos of the parents included in the poster were taken around the time of the build, with some as young as 20 and others just after their […]

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 […]

Ingenuity and co-operation applied

With volunteer design and construction skills completed, others added their labour to build the exhibit. This echoed the tasks undertaken by their parents 60 years earlier. The magnitude […]

Working together to piece it together

With volunteer design and construction completed, others added their labour to build the exhibit. The tasks echoed those undertaken by their parents 60 years earlier. The magnitude of […]

The completed subdivision in Grimsby, 1956

An aerial view of the co-operatively built neighbourhood in Grimsby, 1956. Situated between Lake Ontario with the Niagara Escarpment to the south, it was appropriately named the Lakemount […]

City of Hamilton Ontario, 1950’s

This aerial view of Hamilton Ontario in the early 1950’s shows an industrial city that was booming. With the influx of workers, the city was also sprawling yet […]

Sweat equity at work

By 1954, after a year of study and preparation, the co-op homebuilders were well into the sweat equity part of the build. They worked in teams, in the […]

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

Father Marrocco had inspired the co-op movement in Ontario in 1952, through the work of his students at the Institute of Social Action. By 1955 he was visiting […]

Jim Denvir, Citizen of the year, 1986

Jim Denvir was among a group of St. Joseph’s parishioners who helped in the community, both in and outside of the congregation. At first, they collected food, storing […]

Lunch break on the site

Most often the men would rush home to eat before heading out to the site. On an early spring day, these fellows enjoyed a welcome snack at break […]