Nipigon Service Garage / Palace Theatre

Nipigon Service Garage, also, Palace Theatre. . , In 1925, Arvo Paju built the Nipigon Service Garage, the first garage in town. It was also the Imperial Esso Service Station and the General Motors Dealership. In the early 1930s, Charles and Frank Gerlach bought the business. It stayed in their family for the next 40 years with their younger brother Henry "Hank" taking over in 1952. Arvo rebuilt the garage for the Gerlachs in 1937 after the roof caved in during a record snowfall, this time using solid square timber construction. , Leo Plemel and Wilbert Alanan bought the business in 1970. At different times in the next two decades, the Nipigon Red-Rock Gazette had offices in the back, there was a thrift shop, and a pool hall and pop shop were located in the front. John Zechner purchased the property in 1981. When the grocery store was enlarged in 1987, the garage was demolished to expand the parking lot. , This central location has changed ownership more than a dozen times in the past century. A community hall built in the 1920s by Arvo Paju was a lively meeting place in the early days of Nipigon. The hall was also known as the Palace Theatre, the place to go for a night out to watch the silent pictures and listen to the piano player. Weekend dances were also popular, with live bands driving up from the Lakehead to put on a show at The Blue Lagoon. Next door was a large white rooming house, built before the highway. Salonen's Cafe replaced this in the early 1930s. , If you were looking for a fancy new Chevrolet or Oldsmobile in the 1950s, you could buy it at Clark Motors located on the corner. Riverside Motors followed. Up the hill was the competition, Bouvier Motors which sold Ford and Mercury vehicles. , In 2002, this prime property continues to be a centre of activity with a convenience store, fast food outlet and community newspaper as tenants.