EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published on Feb. 10, 2025.
Shopping in Waterdown used to be typical of a small village – several small shops catering to different needs and mostly clustered around the village core of Dundas Street between Main and Mill streets.
However, in June 1961, an application was made by the Swirski brothers and listing agent C.D. Haynes to establish a village shopping plaza on the east side of Hamilton Street north of Dundas Street, and Council approved it in principle. They planned parking for 240 cars with easy access from both Dundas Street and Hamilton Street.
The design was modular, allowing for easy adaption for any type of business. The construction methods were new and promised to be lower in cost, with savings to be passed on to the tenants. Ontario Hydro's Hamilton office was to use it as an experiment, heating it with a heat pump. That was the easy part.
Digging the basement and and starting the foundation began almost immediately, as noted in the July 20, 1961 edition of the Waterdown Review. But, like almost every project in Waterdown, there were multiple delays over the next three years.
The Village Council issued a building permit to the Swirski brothers in 1961 but because of the amount of floor space approval was necessary from the Ontario Department of Labour, which took several months. A copy of the completed plans for the shopping centre was presented to Council in April 1962.
In May 1962 Mr. Swirski came before council to ask who had jurisdiction over his building permit. The Department of Highways regulated the setback from their roads (Highway 5/Dundas Street) but the Village By-laws regulated the erection of the building. Plans submitted to the Village and to the Province were slightly different, which was the reason for the approval delay.
Then there was the matter of parking spaces – the village had no specific by-law regarding zoning for shopping centres so it was suggested that the current by-law be amended to allow for eight parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail sales floor space. This required an Ontario Municipal Board hearing, where it was rejected. A revised by-law for five spaces per 1,000 square feet was eventually approved.
Finally, in May 1963, Mr. Swirski announced that construction on the new shopping centre would begin in early June with completion expected by October. The initial tenants were: IGA Food Market, CIBC, Village Bowl (12 lanes) Jessop’s Pharmacy, L.C.B.O., Gainsborough Restaurant, Waterdown T.V and Appliances, Modern Canadian Shoe Repair, Speed Queen Coin laundry, Carousel Hair Fashions, Towne Shoppe Ladies Wear, and Village Barber Shop. Most stores opened between June and September 1964.
Over the years, many other stores have found homes in this plaza. An expansion to the north was planned in the late 1980s. It would have incorporated more stores and professional offices but it never received Niagara Escarpment Commission approval.
The plaza was given a ‘facelift’ in the spring of 1988, which also coincided with the opening of Food Town in the former IGA space. That is when Gino's Pizza and BiWay opened their doors, and permission was granted to develop the south end of the property with a full service Pioneer Gas Station and car wash. That building is a story for another column.
