The Golden Pheasant Tavern – affectionately known as “The Duck” – is one of the few surviving hotels from yesteryear, when more than a dozen such establishments were located in St. Catharines , Ontario . Not only has the Golden Pheasant prevailed, it is one of the few taverns in the city to have operated almost continually from the time it was built in 1921.

In addition to a drinking establishment he called “Ontario House” (after the street it is located on), the building’s first owner utilized the space to house a small grocery store and barber shop.

When he chose a place for his enterprise, the old hotel/restaurant mantra of “location…location…location” was not lost on him. A few hundred yards down Ontario Street was McKinnon Industries (bought by General Motors in 1929 and renamed GM Plant 1 in the late ’60s), a thriving company whose hundreds of employees manufactured hardware for saddlery, hames, and wagons. With the popularity of automobiles on the rise after World War I, the factory started making parts for General Motors. Ontario House, as well as the convenience store and barber shop, was ensured a good customer base in an area that was at that time just within the St. Catharines city limits.

The steady flow of McKinnon/GM workers to 244 Ontario Street looking for groceries and a haircut, not to mention a cold beer, was augmented by employees from the W.S. Tyler Company, a wire cloth manufacturer that opened its plant directly across the street from Ontario House in 1930. Around this time new homes were springing up around the area as the downtown core of St. Catharines began spreading in all directions of the compass. Ontario House was definitely in the mix.

Like many old drinking establishments, the Golden Pheasant has a storied past. Not only was it a place of the usual brawls and male bravado – we’re happy to report that hasn’t been the case for many years – but the running of a gambling den and bootlegging operation. The latter activities eventually caught up with its owner and his liquor license was suspended.

In 1952, Gino Castellan bought and revived the tavern changing its name to the Golden Pheasant Tavern. He also renovated the building to exclude the grocery store and barber shop. Mr. Castellan and his wife ran the business until 1976, when it was taken over by their daughters Donna and Livia. Around that time many of the patrons started referring to their favourite watering hole as the “Ruptured Duck,” which soon enough became simply “The Duck.”

The Golden Pheasant Tavern sign was never taken down, however, and has remained the official name of the establishment till this day. A canopy sporting The Duck name and logo was eventually added to the exterior making it the only tavern in town identified by two official names.

From 1952 to the present day, the Golden Pheasant never shut its doors except on Sundays as per Ontario Liquor Board regulations. These regulations also called for a divided “men’s only” and a “ladies and escorts” section. When those archaic laws were revised in the early ’70s, the tavern became a seven-day-a-week operation and both men and women patrons enjoyed a more spacious atmosphere to socialize in.

Like many hotels and taverns the Golden Pheasant has sponsored various house league baseball, hockey, euchre, shuffleboard, and darts teams over the years and became a favourite sports bar along the way, a status it still enjoys today.

Although not as large as some of the other now long gone Niagara Region hotels of the era, the Golden Pheasant has retained the rustic and hospitable 1950s charm instilled by the Castellan family, something that was retained when extensive renovations were done to the building in 1992, when a 480 sq. ft. addition was added to the building. A spacious outdoor patio followed in 2007.

Today, the Golden Pheasant is owned by Jack Kizera and his wife Holly. The now retired GM worker bought the establishment in 2005, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Although some renovations are on the schedule, Jack says he has not intention of changing the building’s character.

“I want it to remain the same as it is, a nice friendly atmosphere where people can enjoy great food and have the best live entertainment in the Niagara Region and work from there,” he said. “I want this to be the place that when somebody asks where they can catch a good band and grab a decent meal the answer they automatically receive is ‘The Duck’.”

LONG LIVE THE DUCK!