The Centre Mall was an outdoor shopping mall

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 in the Lower City of Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, on Barton Street East

Barton Street (Hamilton, Ontario)

Barton Street is an arterial road in the Lower City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's also the longest street in the city. It starts off at the Western end of town at Locke Street North and is a two-way street that stretches eastward through a number of different and varied communities in the...

 bounded by Ottawa Street North

Ottawa Street (Hamilton, Ontario)

Ottawa street, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at Lawrence Road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and is a two-way street throughout cutting through the Delta and Crown Point neighbourhoods and the City's North End industrial neighbourhood...

 in the western-end and Kenilworth Avenue North

Kenilworth Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)

Kenilworth Avenue, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at the Kenilworth Traffic Circle and Kenilworth Access, a mountain-access road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and is a two-way street throughout stretching northward through the city's North End...

 on the eastern-end.

History

The Centre Mall was built in 1955 and was one of the first shopping malls in all of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.

The Centre Mall used to be the site of the Jockey Club racetrack but in the years after the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the push for Hamilton's eastward expansion had completely engulfed the Jockey Club property. On 26 September 1952 the racetrack was sold. The site would then become the site of the Greater Hamilton Shopping Centre.

Centre Mall reconstruction project

Centre Mall owners announce plans for a 23-building super centre on the property on Barton Street East. Cost is estimated to be around $100-million and will take up 700000 square feet (65,032.1 m²) of retail space. This will end up being the largest redevelopment project in the history of Hamilton's east-end. The buildings on the property will be grouped around the edge of the property and create a friendly, pedestrian-oriented design rather than a commercial island in a sea of parking. The overhaul will take about two-and-a-half years to complete but the bulk of the work is expected to be done by the end of the summer of 2008. Some new buildings will go up before the enclosed mall is torn down.

The redevelopment of Centre Mall is transforming the entire neighbourhood from Ottawa Street

Ottawa Street (Hamilton, Ontario)

Ottawa street, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at Lawrence Road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and is a two-way street throughout cutting through the Delta and Crown Point neighbourhoods and the City's North End industrial neighbourhood...

 to Kenilworth Avenue

Kenilworth Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)

Kenilworth Avenue, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at the Kenilworth Traffic Circle and Kenilworth Access, a mountain-access road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and is a two-way street throughout stretching northward through the city's North End...

. The $100-million investment in the mall has boosted Ottawa Street North – already the city's No.1 tourist destination. The garment district has also morphed into a holistic home decor destination area, complete with lighting, antique, design & glass stores. The Ottawa Street B.I.A. had the most application and grants under the commercial property improvement program in 2007 with thirty three and it had an effect on the property values and real estate activity in the district.

External links

• Hamilton Centre Mall (Under Construction)
• Hamilton Centre Mall (Feb. 2, 2008)
• Construction details