The fourth episode in a video series highlighting the history of Hamilton, Ontario. Produced by the Hamilton Public Library in association with the Local History and Archives department, 2014. Edited by Alex Miller and Jeff Comer.
My wife's uncle worked at Robinson's. I remember going in there to see him way before his niece became my wife. Poor guy too old to remember now. Woolworth had a photo booth in the basement in the 1980s. It's where I got my first passport photos done. Wow. The memories, that's what lasts a life time
I believe the narrator is Margaret Houghton, who was head Archivist at the HPL, and published several books about Hamilton. She was a font of knowledge about this city, which is still an amazing place to live and work!
I'm sure malls played a big roll in the decline of the core. People would rather walk from store to store indoors safe from the elements. I like how they made Jackson Square's roof. It's nice to cut across the top instead of going through the mall or around it. I just think the roof could be used for so much more. They should get rooftop events and vendors. The roof is an untapped resource for Jackson Square.
Never heard of Robertson store before but I did grow up in westdale in the mid 70's and remember coming downtown to a few stores along King with my mom and my grandmother and baby brother Chris
My sister Nicole worked at Robinson’s in the print shop where they made all the signs for the store .I still remembre going up to see her at work once. I was so impressed. She had to take blocks of letters and form word backwards so once printed they would be correct.
What a fantastic, and thoughtful video of Hamilton's booming past! I remember going to Woolworths when I was a kid too, and getting chocolates from one of those booths in the middle of the store. I also remember seeing Santa Claus at Robinsons, and having lunch at the lunch counter at Kresges. As nice as this video is, I noticed a theme: Hamilton started to lose its steam in the 80s. All the businesses that made the downtown core worth visiting, went belly up. I haven't lived in Hamilton for over 6 years now, but I have heard that it is slowly picking up momentum again, and businesses are interested in investing in Hamilton again. I can only hope that Hamilton will be like it was for us, for our children.
I moved away from Hamilton 17 years ago and never looked back. It's a decaying city. Makes me sad to think of what it once was and what it could have been. Wish I could get my family out of there.
I guess you do not visit your family eh ?? Shows what a jerk you are.. Hamilton is not East Berlin. Shows you have not been here in a while. Its fast growing vibrant city with huge investments coming out way..... was just named the number 1 city in Canada for Real Estate. When you leave the shit hole city you now call home..... come and visit your family and take a drive around Hamilton. You might want to move back. But maybe Hamilton does not want you back. " I wish I could get my family out of there" LOL they probably tell you they hate becasue they dont want you to come back.
@@arthurdewith7608 I live in the Hammer and I would agree you on that. It is over priced , my son just bought a brand new town house on the west mountain. It cost him 500,000 That's a lot of mortgage for a young couple to handle.
I briefly lived in Hamilton to attend college in the late 1980s, but I have a strange fondness for Steeltown. It's gritty, but has tremendous spunk and potential. No wonder why it has also been nicknamed the Ambitious City.
Far and away the best documentaries produced on Hamilton's glorious past. Many in the past have been informative but very cheaply done; it is nice to see the Library get it right, using every trick available to produce high-quality videos, I can't wait for the next one! I hope we might get to see glimpses of the downtown in the late 70's and early 80's, for those of us born in the latter half of the 20th century this is the way we remember it, at the tail end of it's former glory and the beginning of it's slow decline :( Would looooove also to see something about Hamilton Mountain one day too -- Concession St, Upper James, the expanding suburbs, the original Mountain Plaza (outdoors!), the original incarnation of Limeridge Mall, the building of the Linc ...
Hi Heidi, HPL's Local History & Archives collections are acquired through donations. We would love to have more photos and videos of historic Hamilton buildings and architecture. Anyone wishing to donate can email us at AskHPL@hpl.ca Thank you. - Team HPL
Very cool video I'm Peter from downtown Hamilton east end at 24 Tisdale street south and been told that there was a watermill where my appartment building stands now
In reply to Mg. Businesses aren't interested in investing in Hamilton. The days of well paying jobs like American Can, Westinghouse, Proctor & Gamble, Stelco (it's just surviving in Hamilton) Harvester, are gone. Blue collar city it isn't. Stay in school, if you can, & become a professional or tradesman. Something with a good guaranteed income. You can't buy a house working at landscaping. The businesses in downtown went belly up was because of Jackson Square. The only ones investing are condo people.
Hamilton has nice building or buildings -> torn down for "urban renewal" -> failing mall or parking lot built in its place This city deserves the problems it has now. Bad leadership and shortsighted decisions are a Hamilton specialty.
Fred Eisenburger is the worst Mayor ever. What has he done? Now there is talk about closing the Downtown Farmers Market which is a great legacy of Hamilton.
