History
Known as Jackson Square by the locals, this mall is part of Hamilton's "Super Block", which includes the Hamilton Public Library, Stelco Tower, Copps Coliseum, Sheraton Hamilton, the Hamilton Farmer's Market, the Standard Life Building and the former Eaton's Centre now known as the Hamilton City Centre. It is also known as an "indoor core connector" to the Convention Centre (Ellen Fairclough Building), Art Gallery of Hamilton and Hamilton Place Theatre across the street: all three downtown landmarks are connected to the mall by a skywalk that crosses over King to Jackson Square.
Phase 1 of Jackson Square was completed in 1972, including the Bank of Montreal Pavilion. In 1973 Stelco Tower was completed. At the time of completion, Stelco Tower was the tallest building in Hamilton; that title only lasted for a year, until Landmark Place (formerly known as the Century 21 building) was completed in 1974.
In 1975, the Hamilton underground rock band Simply Saucer recorded a concert performance atop Jackson Square, which was eventually released on the 1989 album Cyborgs Revisited.
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. In 1983, the Standard Life Centre office tower opened at the west end of Jackson Square. In 1985, the Sheraton Hamilton, connected to Jackson Square, opened, boosting downtown Hamilton's hotel space. Also in 1985, Copps Coliseum, sports and entertainment arena with a capacity of up to 19,000 (depending on event type and configuration) opened its doors for business. It's named after the former Hamilton mayor, Victor K. Copps. The first major hockey tournament the new Arena hosted was in 1986 when the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Games were held in the city. The Soviets captured gold against Team Canada with a top scoring line that consisted of Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure.
In 1997, the Bank of Montreal moved out of Jackson Square, where it had been a major first tenant, and into its own building at Main and Bay. In 1999, Eaton's closed as the department store chain collapsed and Hamilton's Eaton's Centre was now known as the Hamilton City Centre.
Read more about this topic: Lloyd D. Jackson Square
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