King Street (Hamilton, Ontario)

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King Street, is a Lower City street in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Also known as King's Highway No. 8. The western-end starts off in front of the McMaster Medical Centre as a two-way street and passes through Westdale and then at Paradise Road South, King Street switches over to a one-way street (Westbound) right through the city's core up to the Delta, a spot in town where King and Main Streets intersect. (West of the Delta, King Street is North of Main Street. East of the Delta after King crosses over Main Street, King then runs South of Main Street.) From the Delta onwards King Street then switches over to become a two-way street again and ends at Queenston Road. (Queenston Road, runs parallel with King Street, then King Street flows northward where it connects and ends at Queenston Road.)

Contents

[edit] History

In 1815, George Hamilton, a settler and local politician, established a town site in the northern portion Barton Township after the war in 1815. He kept several east-west roads which were originally Indian trails, but the north-south streets were on a regular grid pattern. Streets were designated "East" or "West" if they crossed James Street or King’s Highway No. 6. Streets were designated "North" or "South" if they crossed King Street or King’s Highway No. 8. [1]

On 30 October, 1893, The Sir John A. MacDonald Statue arrives in Hamilton from London, England. Official dedication of the statue took place 1 November, 1893. Located at the intersection of King and Hughson Streets. Prime Minister Sir John Thompson in attendance. [2]

McMaster University moved to Hamilton, Ontario from Toronto in 1930, thanks to the efforts of Thomas McQuesten. [3]

CHCH-TV 11 began broadcasting in 1954 as a CBC affiliate from a studio on King Street West (close to Victoria Park) and a transmitter located at 481 First Road West in Stoney Creek. At the time, all private stations were required to be CBC affiliates. [4] Then in 1961, CHCH disaffiliated from the CBC and became an independent TV station. [4] CHCH-TV 11 studios are now at the corner of Jackson Street West and Caroline Streets.

In 1966, Terminal Towers including a new eight-storey Holiday Inn opened on the site of the old transit terminal between King and Main at Catharine Street. It's now called Effort Square and the hotel is a Ramada Plaza Hotel. [5]

Modern day architectural developments on King Street include the following, Phase 1 of Lloyd D. Jackson Square (mall) was completed, including Stelco Tower and Bank of Montreal Pavilion in 1972. [5] Then in 1977, the second phase of Jackson Square was completed with a six-storey office tower, but not the department store intended to be its major attraction. [5] Also in 1977, The Art Gallery of Hamilton opened beside the Board of Education building. [6] In 1981, The Hamilton Convention Centre and the government office tower above it opened. The tower was named the Ellen Fairclough Building one year later in 1982. [7] In 1983, the Standard Life Centre opened at the west end of Jackson Square. [5] In 1985, Sheraton Hamilton, connected to Jackson Square, opened, boosting downtown Hamilton's hotel space. [5] In 1985, Copps Coliseum, sports and entertainment arena with a capacity of up to 19,000 (depending on event type and configuration) opens its doors for business (one block North of King Street at Bay Street). It's named after the former Hamilton mayor, Victor K. Copps. [8] In 1987, the first of two reflective glass buildings of the CIBC tower (Commerce Place I) opened at King and James opposite Gore Park. The other (Commerce Place II) opened in 1990. [7]

Hamilton, Ontario has hosted several cultural and craft fairs since the 1960s, notably Festival of Friends[1], which made it a major tourist destination. The Festival of Friends, founded in 1975, is the largest annual free music event in the country. Burton Cummings, Lighthouse and Bruce Cockburn have been among the main stage headliners at Gage Park on Gage Avenue. [9] WestJet is a major sponsor of the festival.[10] Hamilton is also home to the Mustard Festival[2] because Hamilton is home to the largest miller of dry mustard in the world. It's held annually at Ferguson Station, Ferguson Avenue and King Street East at Hamilton's International Village and is another summertime food & beverage festival that features some of the top Blues and Jazz acts in the region.[11]

Ottawa Street, is known as the Textile District (King Street crosses over Ottawa Street) and is Hamilton's "Decor Destination." It is the largest Fabric and Textile District in Canada. It also hosts and annual Ottawa Street Streetfest, a shopping extravaganza that includes shopping deals, entertainment, foods, crafts, all part of outdoor street sale. [12]

Locke Street, (King Street crosses over Locke Street) has festivals held throughout the year. The first noteworthy one is called Spring Blooms on Locke. It's an annual festival that marks the end of winter and is also a fund raiser for sick children. Then there's the one simply called The Locke Street Festival where each September the street is closed off for a fun-filled day for the family with live entertainment, street vendors and food. There's also the Christmas Open House where they welcome the holidays with late opening, food, drink and carollers each November. [13]

[edit] Landmarks

Note: Listing of Landmarks from West to East.

[edit] Communities

Note: Listing of neighbourhoods from West to East.

  • Ainsley Wood
  • Westdale
  • Strathcona
  • Central - The financial center of Hamilton, Ontario
  • Beasley
  • Landsdale
  • Gibson
  • Stipeley
  • Crown Point
  • The Delta
  • Bartonville
  • Glenview
  • Corman/ Vincente (King Street is the division between these 2 neighbourhoods)
  • Greenford/ Gershome (King Street is the division between these 2 neighbourhoods)
  • Stoney Creek
  • Cherry Heights

[edit] Roads that are parallel with King Street

Lower City Roads:

Niagara Escarpment (Mountain) Roads:

  • Concession Street
  • Fennell Avenue, West/ East
  • Mohawk Road, West/ East
  • Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway-The Linc
  • Hamilton City Road 11; Mud Street
  • Stone Church Road, West/ East
  • ; Rymal Road, West/ East

[edit] Roads that cross King Street

Note: Listing of streets from West to East.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bailey, Thomas Melville (1981). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875). W.L. Griffin Ltd. 
  2. ^ Sir John A. MacDonald statue- 1893. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  3. ^ Bailey, Thomas Melville (1992). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol III, 1925-1939). W.L. Griffin Ltd. 
  4. ^ a b CH TV Hamilton History. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d e Johnston, Bill. Hamilton Spectator article: "Lament for a Downtown". Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  6. ^ Manson, Bill. Gallery of distinction.. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Skyscraperpage.com: Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  8. ^ OHL Arena Guide: Copps Coliseum (1985). Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  9. ^ The Hamilton Spectator- Tourism Hamilton page MP54 (2006-06-10). The Hamilton Memory Project;. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
  10. ^ WestJet sponsors Festival of Friends in Hamilton. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  11. ^ Hamilton's Annual Mustard Festival. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  12. ^ Ottawa Street B.I.A. (ShopOttawaStreet.ca). Retrieved on April 8, 2007.
  13. ^ Locke Street Shopping District. Retrieved on April 8, 2007.


v • d • e
Roads in Hamilton, Ontario
Lower City Arteries (Primary Roads): Bay • Burlington • Centennial • Cootes • Dundurn • Gage • James • John • Kenilworth • Ottawa • Parkdale • Queen • Victoria •
Wellington • Wentworth
Lower City Collectors (Secondary): Catharine • Ferguson • Hess • Hughson • Locke • MacNab • Sherman
Mountain pass: Sherman Access
Municipal Expressways: The Linc • Red Hill Valley
Provincial Highways: 2 • 5 • 6 (By-Pass) • 8 • Chedoke Parkway • QEW
Other Canadian cities: Toronto · York Region · Markham · Essex County · Windsor · Mississauga
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