Hamilton residents, store owners saying goodbye to City Centre mall, as doors to close Dec. 26
A pop-up market this weekend is celebrating the space — and the people who still work there
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/...4dR8qMK7822WaJ1IpuwFPnq_6W24jElFt-Xm5uVw
When Whitney McMeekin goes to Hamilton's City Centre, it's usually because she wants to be alone. The mall, with its lofty ceilings, skylights and balconies, doesn't get the foot traffic it once did when it was the city's downtown Eaton's headquarters.
These days, it's a unique, central spot, a series of bright, empty hallways beside the comparatively dark yet busy Jackson Square mall. With its pastel colours, glass elevator and public art, the City Centre seems straight out of an era long forgotten in modern commerce.
"It's like going back in time," says McMeekin, who runs a clothing store on nearby King Street East. She is also the co-founder of Hamilton Flea, which is hosting a pop-up market and family dance party at the City Centre on Saturday.
McMeekin says the event is the chance for the community to say goodbye to the 32-year-old shopping centre, with a public closing date set for the end of year and demolition expected to begin in a few months.
"As much as I wish it was busy and that the businesses had tons of customers, I also love that it's a place I can come and just really experience it and be alone," she said, describing the atmosphere of the space in more recent times.
"I feel like, also, everyone dreams a bit when they're in here, about what could be here. And I think what I find so sad about it is that we all have that feeling, but yet it's kind of going to be gone."
Store owners told to vacate by the new year
The mall's remaining store operators – there aren't many left – have been told to vacate their units after December holidays, as several told CBC Hamilton during a recent visit.
The mall was sold to IN8 Developments in 2019, and the company plans to build four residential towers on the site, ranging between 26 and 30 storeys tall, above a nine-storey podium, said City of Hamilton spokesperson Michelle Shantz.
The plan has conditional approval from the city, pending a series of required studies, plans and fees, Shantz told CBC Hamilton this week.
"Imagine if it was a mall-themed condo," said McMeekin, as she looked out over the City Centre from a third-floor balcony. "That would be dreamy."
IN8 president Darryl Firsten says his company, which has partnered with Harlo Capital on the project, expects to get its final approval and building permit very soon, and is planning for demolition of the City Centre to start in February.
He says the demolition will take most of the year, with construction of the nearly 2,000-condo project to take close to a decade.
"Boxing day is the last day" the mall will be open to the public, he told CBC Hamilton on Thursday. "Everyone will be out of the building by Jan. 10."
Firsten says the units will range between studios and three-bedroom condos, but says price point have not been set. The project is now expected to cost more than $1 billion, he added, a jump from the $700 million projected when it was first announced, in large part due to inflation.
Units in the building will start to go on sale in late 2023, Firsten says, adding that the development will have street-level retail that he hopes will integrate into the community better than the long, brick wall of the City Centre.
He says it will also integrate some elements from the old building, such as the clock tower that originally came from Hamilton's old City Hall.
"We honour the clock tower and its history in the new development," he said, noting it would be relocated into a "a huge pedestrian courtyard area."
IN8 is also planning another condo development in Hamilton at 1107 Main St. W., the current location of the now-closed Grace Lutheran Church.
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