It’s a familiar sight in Kemptville’s beautiful and historic downtown – the well-aged light red building known to many as “Odd Fellows Hall”. Now, anyone who passes this vacant building is sure to notice signs of new life being breathed into it as it is prepped for it’s next purpose in life.
The “Odd Fellows Hall” is so nicknamed because it spent an astounding 131 years as the headquarters of the local chapter of the Odd Fellows, an international fraternity organization defined by social activities taking place in local lodges. Built in 1859 and purchased by the Odd Fellows Grenville Lodge #279 in 1892, the Grenville Lodge held its opening ceremony in the distinctive red building on July 11, 1892.
It is always sad to see historic buildings sitting vacant and in a state of disrepair, particularly in Kemptville’s otherwise vibrant downtown. Passersby will now notice that the building – which sits at 119 Clothier St. E. – has the distinctive signs of a building under renovations. There are brand new windows in place, after years of the building sitting with white boards in place of windows. A dumpster sits on the northeast corner of the property filled with old insulation and empty wiring spools, letting our imaginations run wild about the work going on inside.
The building was purchased a few years ago by local dentist Yazdani Family Dentistry. It is reported that the building will be turned into a dentist’s office.
While the Odd Fellows remain active in North Grenville through participation in events and celebrations, the organization no longer has its local headquarters. An extensive documents collection which was housed at the building now has a new home with the City of Ottawa Archives.
As a service organization, the Odd Fellows continue to promote personal and social development, with the ultimate goal of making the world a better place. However, things have been more difficult for the organization in recent years. “There is concern that the Odd Fellows Order in Ontario will disappear,” writes Rowena Cooper in a 2021 Times article. “In the Province of Ontario, there are fewer that 1,000 members. Formed as an organization that offered insurance to its members, it is now purely a service club, and the many lodges that existed throughout Eastern Ontario are slowly disappearing.”
Yazdani Family Dentistry could not be reached for comment. To learn more about the Odd Fellows organization, visit https://odd-fellows.org/.
