Victoria Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)
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Victoria Avenue, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off as a ramp and part of a Mountain-access road, the Claremont Access, on Hunter Street East in the Stinson neighbourhood. It's also a one-way thoroughfare that flows north through the Landsdale and the city's North End industrial neighbourhood past Burlington Street East where it ends at Pier 11.
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[edit] History
Victoria Avenue, was named after Queen Victoria. [1]
In 1902, Canadian Otis Elevator Company (1902-1987) is formed (August 22) on Victoria Avenue North. [2] For many years Hamilton was home to the largest single elevator manufacturing facility in the world. The workers produced all kinds of elevators, escalators and later, forklifts. In 1969, the company took over the old Studebaker plant. It was a return home for Otis, which had built the 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m²) facility for wartime production of anti-aircraft guns and other military equipment.[3]
On August 18, 1948, surrounded by more than 400 employees and a battery of reporters, the first vehicle, a blue Champion four-door sedan, rolls off the Studebaker assembly line. [4] The company was located in the former Otis-Fenson military weapons factory off Burlington Street East, which was built in 1941. The Indiana-based Studebaker was looking for a Canadian site and settled on Hamilton because of its steel industry. The company was known for making automotive innovations and building solid distinctive cars. 1950 was its best year but the descent was quick. By 1954, Studebaker was in the red and merging with Packard, another falling car manufacturer. In 1963, the company moved its entire car operations to Hamilton. The Canadian car side had always been a money-maker and Studebaker was looking to curtail disastrous losses. That took the plant from a single to double shift - 48 to 96 cars daily. The last car to roll off the line was a turquoise Lark cruiser on March 4, 1966.[4] Studebaker officially shuts down the next day on March 5, 1966 as its last car factory.[5] It was terrible news for the 700 workers who had formed a true family at the company, known for its employee parties and day trips. It was a huge blow to the city, too. Studebaker was Hamilton's 10th largest employer at the time.[4] In recent years there's been talk of converting the 500,000-square-foot facility into a Mega-Movie Studio.
[edit] Landmarks
Note: Listing of Landmarks from North to South.
- Pier 11
- Otis Elevator Buildings (2), site of Otis Elevator Company, (1902-1987) and Studebaker of Canada, (1948-1966) [2] Today used as a warehouse by Stelco and various other North End industries.
- Vopak Terminals of Canada Inc. (liquid bulk storage)
- Cadbury Schweppes/ Allan Candy (factory), off Shaw Street
- Hamilton Community Health Centre
- Romanian Baptist Church
- Apostolic Christian Church
- Victoria Manor I & II (retirement homes)
- Victoria Avenue ramp (Mountain-access), turns into the Claremont Access Road
[edit] Communities
Note: Listing of neighbourhoods from North to South [6]
- North End - Everything north of the Canadian National Railway tracks
- Landsdale
- Stinson
[edit] Major roads that cross Victoria Avenue
Note: Listing of streets from North to South.
- Burlington Street East
- Barton Street East
- Cannon Street East - One way street (Westbound only)
- Wilson Street - One way street (Eastbound Only)
- King William Street - One way street (Eastbound Only)
- King Street East - One way street (Westbound Only)
- Main Street East - One way street (Eastbound Only)
- Hunter Street East - One way street (Westbound Only)
- Charlton Avenue East - One way street (Westbound Only), flows underneath Victoria Avenue Mountain-access ramp (Claremont Access)
[edit] Roads that are parallel with Victoria Avenue
Note: Listing of streets from West to East.
- James Street, North, South
- Hughson Street, North, South
- John Street, North, South
- Catharine Street, North, South
- Ferguson Avenue, North, South
- Wellington Street, North, South
- Victoria Avenue, North, South
- Wentworth Street, North, South
- Sherman Avenue, North, South
- Gage Avenue, North, South
- Ottawa Street, North, South
- Kenilworth Avenue, North, South
- Cochrane Road
[edit] References
- ^ Houghton, Margaret (2002). Hamilton Street Names: An Illustrated Guide. James Lorimer & Co. Ltd.. ISBN 1-55028-773-7.
- ^ a b History of Industry in Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition page MP48 (Saturday June 10, 2006). "The Hamilton Memory Project;". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b c The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition page MP45 (Saturday June 10, 2006). "The Hamilton Memory Project; STUDEBAKER". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ Johnson, Dale. "The last days of Studebaker", The Toronto Star, 2006-03-04. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ Hamilton Neighbourhood Boundaries, (map.hamilton.ca). Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
- MapArt Golden Horseshoe Atlas - Page 647 - Grids E13, F13, G13, H13
[edit] External links
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