From Tuma Avenue to Al’s Hill: Lebanese Landmarks in Corner Brook

The earliest Lebanese immigrants on the west coast of Newfoundland arrived by the 1890s. A strong Lebanese community quickly developed in Curling and Humbermouth. The first wave included the Basha, Daniels, Joseph, and Kawaja families. The second wave included the Tuma, Alteen, Michael, Noah, Faour, White, and Farris families.

Walking through Corner Brook today, you will see businesses like Alteen’s Jewellery, street names like Kawaja Drive, Basha Place, and Tuma Avenue, and community places like the Fred Basha Softball Pitch. These places all show the longstanding history of the Lebanese community in Corner Brook.

Kawaja Drive and Al’s Hill

Known variously as Assah, Assab, or Assad, A. Kawaja established himself as a merchant importing goods between Corner Brook and North Sydney. Assad’s brother Saleem moved to Corner Brook in 1928, where he opened Green Lantern Wholesalers. Saleem’s granddaughter, Mary Catherine Kawaja, remembers:

When they started out they had a soda bar, and they sold confectionery, they sold grocery items, they sold furniture, hardware. That kind of thing. That evolved from wholesale-retail to just wholesale.

Black and white exterior. Brick building says Ice-cream Parlor; Al. Kawaja’s; Luncheonette Etc. Etc. The two main windows flanking the front door also say Al’s. There is a small roof above the doors.

Al Kawaja’s Ice Cream Parlour and Luncheonette. Circa 1940s.

Saleem’s son Elias (Al) Kawaja owned several businesses in Corner Brook, including Al’s Ice Cream Parlour and Luncheonette, a successful ice cream parlour and diner on Broadway. He also ran Al’s Tourist Lodge on O’Connell Drive. Al was also known for his volunteer work and was the first deputy mayor of Corner Brook following the joining of several town councils.

Al’s Hill is named after him. Kawaja Drive is named for the family.

Fred Basha Softball Pitch and Basha Place

Fred Basha (1945-1993) was the founding editor of the Humber Log newspaper from its initial publication in 1972 until his death in 1993. He was elected as a city councillor in 1981 and served as deputy mayor from 1989-1993. Fred was active in the community. He was president and chairman of many clubs. He was an avid baseball player and coach, as well as a bowler, basketball, and hockey player. Fred was an outfielder with the Corner Brook Barons from 1958 to 1970. He was added to the Baseball NL Hall of Fame in 1989.

Sepia waterfront. Large building in the centre says T. Basha & Son. There are two small buildings on the left, and three larger ones on the right in the background. The building with a false front in the background also says T. Basha & Son. In the foreground there are two large wharfs. The wharf on the left has four people on it. The wharf on the right has over fifty barrels lined up. There are also barrels stacked and lined up in front of the large building on the waterfront.

T. Basha and Son on Water Street, Curling. Circa 1920s.

The Fred Basha Softball Pitch is dedicated to Fred. Basha Place is named for the family. There were several early businesses in and around Corner Brook established by different Bashas. The earliest was that of the family patriarch Tanius Basha (1841-1936). He established Tanius Basha and Sons, specialising in fishing supplies, around 1896. His death notice in the Western Star newspaper says that he spent several years travelling across Newfoundland before settling on the West Coast.

Black and white interior of jewelry store. There are shelves and display cases of jewelry on both sides of the store, two display cases in the middle of the floor, and seven lights in the centre of the ceiling. One man stands behind the counter on the left, and two women stand at the front of the store.

The inside of Tuma’s jewelry store on Broadway, Corner Brook. 1989.

Tuma Avenue and Alteen’s Jewellery

The Tuma family moved from Bell Island to Corner Brook in 1922. Simon Tuma applied to open a shop as a watch repairman. He later opened a jewellery store in Corner Brook. His son Elias kept the shop running until the 1990s. Tuma Avenue is named after the family.

Colour exterior. Brick building with red signage that reads National Shoe; NS; National Shoe; Alteen’s. There is blue paint above the signage. In the middle of the building it says Alteen Bldg 1953. Two cars are parked in front.

Alteen’s National Shoe, Corner Brook. 1989.

The name Alteen is connected with the Tuma family through marriage. The families did business together. This led to Nora Tuma meeting Nick Alteen in Canada. They married and moved to the Corner Brook area, opening a shoe store called National Shoe Limited. Nick’s brother Louis Alteen started a jewellery company in Nova Scotia in 1944. Their brother Doug Alteen moved to Grand Falls in 1949 and opened the first Alteen’s Jewellers in Newfoundland. Lawrence, another Alteen brother, joined Doug and opened a branch in Corner Brook called Alteen Brothers Limited. Alteen’s Jewellery expanded across western and central Newfoundland. At one point the family owned a chain of 10 stores across Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Alteen’s Jewellery is still an active business on Broadway in Corner Brook.

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