Today on TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD – have you ever really taken the time to consider the history behind Thunder Bay’s famous “Pagoda” building?
That famous octagonal building at the corner of Red River Road and Water Street. A pagoda-shaped roof, a beaver‑and‑maple‑leaf carving over the door, and even a small dragon’s head said to be a Scandinavian good‑luck symbol. It was designed by local architect H. Russell Halton
Back in the early 1900s, Port Arthur was a major transportation hub with rail lines, docks, and weekly passenger ships. The city wanted a permanent “Publicity Pagoda” to welcome visitors and pitch Port Arthur as the place to invest, visit, and settle. The spot was perfect: right at the foot of Red River Road.
The Pagoda served as a tourism bureau for decades, but as rail traffic declined, it eventually closed in 1986. That same year, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, recognizing its role in civic boosterism and early tourism — and its wonderfully eccentric design. It was later restored and reopened as a heritage site.1961, 1973, and 1985 — the Pagoda’s roof was painted in multi‑coloured polka dots, a quirky moment in its history that locals still talk about.
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