Early history The Oak Hall grounds were originally part of the 'Clark Hill Islands' property (see
Dufferin Islands). The property was sold off and split in 1898 and went through several ownership changes until
Walter Schoellkopf (1882–1955) bought the property in 1916. The Schoellkopf family was from across the
Niagara River in
Niagara Falls, New York, and they were pioneers of
hydraulic power development in the region.
Sir Harry Oakes in Toronto in the 1930s In 1924,
Harry Oakes and his wife, Eunice, bought the property from the Schoellkopfs. They hired the firm of Findlay and Foulis of
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to design and construct the mansion known as Oak Hall, which was completed by 1928 at a cost of ($ in dollars). Findlay and Foulis were also responsible for the
Table Rock house in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Oakes family lived there until 1935, when Oakes left Canada (due to what he believed was over-taxation of his gold mines) and moved to the
Bahamas. After Oakes' death in the Bahamas in 1943, Lady Oakes deeded the mansion to the
Government of Canada to be used as a convalescent hospital for the
Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1952, when the government no longer needed the home, it was deeded back to the Oakes family. Shortly thereafter, Sir Sidney Oakes, the eldest son of Sir Harry Oakes, moved in and lived there with his wife for several years before moving back to the Bahamas. on the estate to the public in an effort to attract more visitors to the grounds, with the golf course offices housed in the former garage. The commission sought to utilize the mansion more fully and moved its central office in 1982 from
Queen Victoria Park to Oak Hall, where it remains today (the golf offices were moved to a gatehouse on the outer grounds). Though the majority of the rooms were converted to office space, three rooms remained in their historic state, with the Prince of Wales' dinner chairs still on display in the dining room. The chapel, which was built so the family could have private worship services, is now the commission's
information technology manager's office. Its peaked ceiling remains intact, and the view from the window includes views of the river and islands below. ==See also==