The mysterious ‘John Caboto Society Hall Erected 1939” is engraved on a plaque on top of a roof facing the corner of Portland  and Milton Sts., just east of Royal York Rd.

Local resident Ian Robertson says there are no other signs on the building about the social hall, and a side door is boarded up and beside a locked door with ‘Shipping Only’ sign.

The fading sign is from a bygone era many than 80-years ago.

It turns out the club, like the Statue of Liberty in the U.S., served as a welcoming and social outlet for Italian newcomers resettling in Canada in the 1920s.

The club was named the Giovanni or John Caboto Club, in honour of the famed Italian sailor and explorer John Cabot. He became, and still is, an important figure to Italian immigrant communities in Canada, although he sailed for the English Crown.

His landing on the coastline of modern-day Newfoundland in 1497 was used to validate and legitimize the Italian immigrant experience in Canada, serving as a source of pride.

The club was founded by Italian immigrants in late 1924, and in the U.S. and Canada became an important part of the local Italian community, providing a place for community gatherings, support for new immigrants and through fundraising activities, support for the larger community.

There are still strong branches of the club in existence in Windsor and parts of the U.S.