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 Locke Street History Bytes — Issue 6
by Bill Manson, author of
Footsteps in Time, vol I,
Getting Around Hamilton,
Up and Down Locke Street South
More about the author
THE STORY OF LOCKE SOUTH AND THE KIRKENDALL NEIGHBOURHOOD
My previous three articles outlined the history of the Kirkendall
neighbourhood and its premier street, Locke South, between 1800
and 1920. This final article briefly brings the neighbourhood’s
history up to date.
The Ups and Downs of Kirkendall (1920 - the present)
By 1920, the residential and commercial nature of Locke Street
South was firmly established. Most of the houses which constitute
today’s neighbourhood had been built. These included the “grand” homes
along Herkimer and Homewood east of Locke, those along Aberdeen
Avenue, and those from Aberdeen south to the base of the Escarpment.
Many of these fine new homes housed the families of Hamilton’s
captains of business and industry, their servants, their chauffeurs
and their gardeners.
However, Kirkendall was also a well-established suburban Hamilton
neighbourhood that reflected a broader socio-economic spectrum.
Despite the fact that households on Locke South and to the west
of Locke were middle and working-class, there was an acceptance
and tolerance among all Kirkendall residents which made for an
eclectic, yet dynamic and tight-knit community.
This community spirit was manifested in its local schools, churches,
and recreational facilities like the H.A.A.A. Grounds where all
Hamiltonians regularly gathered to watch professional baseball,
field lacrosse - and of course the Hamilton Tiger Rugby Team “beat
the pants off” the visiting Toronto Argos.
Kirkendall boasted some of Hamilton’s finest schools - Ryerson
to the east on Queen (strictly speaking in the Durand neighborhood),
Earl Kitchener to the west on Dundurn, Saint Joseph’s which
opened in 1921 at Locke and Herkimer Streets in the converted Saint
James Presbyterian Church building, and later Allenby School on
Hunter Street West.
In the tradition of Locke being a street of churches street, the
Stanley Avenue Baptist Church was remodeled and expanded in 1925,
and the magnificent Melrose United Church was erected in 1928 on
the northeast corner of Homewood and Locke. Garden parties held
by Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Joseph’s continued
to be popular annual events of these long-established churches.
The new Locke Street Library Branch opened in 1925 at the northeast
corner of Locke and Stanley Streets in the old Vollick furniture
shop and grocery store. Designed originally as a children’s
library, this branch with its cozy fireplace, soon became popular
with both children and adults in the neighbourhood, so much so,
that in 1928 the building had to be extended.
In 1920 there were 36 businesses operating on Locke between Main
and Aberdeen. By 1930 there were 52. Despite the Depression and
the onset of W.W.II, there were over 60 businesses operating in
1940. In 1950, the commercial growth of the street peaked with
65 enterprises registered that year - a remarkable number given
the length of the street.
During this 30 year period, a Kirkendall family could purchase
groceries, confections, dry-goods, fresh fruit, vegetables and
meat. They could have their laundry and dry cleaning done. They
could shop at stationers, pharmacies and tobacconists. They could
bank, mail a letter, and have the car serviced or even buy a new
or used one. They could go to the movies and have a meal out, have
a suit or dress made, and get a hairdo or haircut. They could have
their roof repaired, their plumbing fixed, and their house redecorated.
They could visit a doctor or dentist, and have their prescriptions
filled. All of these enterprises with their friendly, attentive
and personalized services existed “just around the corner” on
Locke Street South. With daily milk and bread delivery, the Kirkendall
neighbourhood was virtually a self-sustaining community during
this period.
As the motor car gained i popularity the West End Improvement
Society in 1929 convinced the City to upgrade the electric lighting
on the street, and to remove the forest of separate lighting, telephone,
and hydro poles by consolidating these services using shared poles.
This allowed for a wider road to accommodate the increasing numbers
of cars using the street. As well, Locke between King and Main
which, too, was overrun with utility poles and wires, was widened
from a single lane to two. In 1931 the last radial car ran along
Aberdeen, and the tracks were taken up to make way for increasing
numbers of cars and buses.
Service stations and garages abounded on Locke South during these
years. The automobile, however, remained a “seasonal” conveyance.
During the winter drivers put their cars up on blocks and drained
the radiators. Not only had antifreeze not yet been invented, but
the unplowed streets proved a formidable driving challenge after
a winter storm, especially on streets like Locke with its tram
lines. Streetcars were relatively reliable during the winter, but
only at the expense of plowing the snow off the tracks and onto
the roadway on either side. It was not uncommon to see horse-drawn
sleighs on Locke street well into the 1930’s. Coal, bread,
and milk wagons had their wheels replaced by sleds, and often teams
of horses were used to pull heavier loads through the snow-covered
streets.
Many locals claim that, despite the Depression and the the Second
World War, Locke Street South experienced its commercial “heyday” during
these years, and truly there appeared to be no stopping development
during this period of social, political and economic upheaval.
This should not imply that the neighbourhood did not experience
hardships throughout the Depression and War years. Families went
bankrupt. Many experienced great deprivation. Fathers and sons
died. Rationing reigned. Shortages equated to daily life. Most
suffered mental and economic anguish. Yet in the Kirkendall neighbourhood
life went on, most survived, and the “spirit of Locke Street” prevailed.
In fact during these trying years, many new businesses opened on
Locke. With the scarcity of jobs during the Depression some families
used their savings to open a business, and to use any meager profit
to “pump” back into stock.
With the end of W.W.II and the growth of the postwar economy things
seemed very” rosy” indeed for Locke Street South and
the Kirkendall neighbourhood.
But dark clouds were gathering on Kirkendall’s commercial
and residential horizon. The automobile which had ensured and sustained
the viability of Locke Street South as a major commercial and residential
hub between 1920 and 1950 was about to become a major cause its
decline.
After W.W.II, like many communities built around a commercial
street, the fortunes of the Locke Street South neighbourhood began
to ebb. With more families purchasing automobiles during the “boom-times” of
the post 1950’s, with the development of large suburban supermarkets
and shopping malls, and with families moving away from the city
core into the burgeoning “burbs”, it was inevitable
that streets like Locke South and neighbourhoods like Kirkendall
would suffer the consequences.
In 1947, to the relief of all motorists, the tram lines were paved
over and increasing numbers of cars could finally take over neighbourhood
streets. The inauguration of the one-way street system in 1950’s
Hamilton did little to facilitate commercial expansion on Locke
Street South. Although Locke, Dundurn and Aberdeen remained two-way,
the side streets did not. Nor did three of the main feeder streets,
Queen, King, and Main. No longer could someone “hop in the
car” for a quick trip around the block to the local store,
without going “the long way” to get there. Parking
was beginning to become a problem. For the next 30 years Locke
Street South experienced a gradual but relentless commercial decline.
During this period many of the families that had “defined” the
Kirkendall community for more than three decades disappeared from
the scene. “Baby-boomers” growing up here in the 50’s
preferred to live in the suburbs in the 1970’s. Established
families were replaced by numbers of transient families. Many homes
were neglected, or duplexed to provide additional income for those
who remained loyal to the neighbourhood.
This demographic, combined with the development of large chain
stores and shopping malls in the suburbs, as well as the increasing
mobility of people with cars, inevitably resulted in a permanent
change in the character of the neighbourhood. Just as the neighbourhood
was becoming more transient in nature, so too were the businesses.
Long-established stores downsized, were franchised, or closed altogether.
The business turnover rate steadily increased.
In 1947, the Hamilton Pottery, in business on Locke since 1860,
was leveled by a disastrous fire, and never reopened. A service
station was built on the site, and when it closed, a car wash.
Then until 1998, this block-long property, occupied for over 100
years, sat barren and muddy, symbolic of the hard times into which
the neighbourhood had fallen.
By 1960 only a few businesses from the 1950’s remained open.
There were no longer numbers of groceries, bakeries, pharmacies,
and specialty shops from which to choose. Most had been replaced
by variety and convenience stores. In 1970 the number of businesses
on Locke South was at its lowest ebb since 1890. And the turnover
rate was the highest in the history of the street. Indeed, the
street had fallen upon hard economic times despite a growing Hamilton
economy. Not only were the socio-economic aspects of Locke “running
down”, so too was the physical state of its other buildings.
The “Old Lady” was clearly in desperate need of a “face-lift”.
Several times during this period the City attempted to install
parking meters in the business areas of Locke South “to ensure
a high turnover” of cars parking on the street. The businesses,
who in most cases were not even notified of the plan, realized
that, with free parking at the malls, the parking meters would
only further alienate the shoppers that frequented Locke.
For much of the ‘70’s the street became popular with
motorcyclists. It was not uncommon to see a police-presence up
and down the street, and to hear the roar of the machines at all
times of the day, night. and early morning hours.
Then, an enterprise which signaled a change in the declining fortunes
of the street, arrived on Locke South. Whitehall Antiques and Furniture
took over the old Immanuel Congregational Church building. Other “curious” enterprises
like Steve’s Hardware followed, and began to draw people
to Locke Street in growing numbers. The street began gaining a
reputation for featuring “the old”, “the odd”,
and “the unusual” - all at very reasonable prices.
Even though the turnover of business continued to be high during
the 1980’s, the total number slowly rose to that of three
decades before.
Things also started to improve residentially. Post “baby-boomers” saw
the potential of renovating older homes in the Kirkendall neighbourhood.
The area, for many young couples, became a place-of-choice in which
to raise a family. Real estate was attractively priced. The neighbourhood
was established. The buildings had character, and were roomy, and
still perhaps commodious enough to rent out an apartment to help
pay the mortgage. Schools were in place. There was a library. There
were recreational facilities and parks. There was a golf course.
And the neighbourhood was central to downtown, and close to Highway
403.
Since then Kirkendall has undergone a real renaissance commercially
and residentially — but not one, unfortunately, that is likely
to bring the neighbourhood back to its historic status as self-sustaining.
Today Locke Street South has the reputation of being a “funky” shopping
street. A number of antique, secondhand, gift, and collectibles
stores have opened, each carving out its “special” niche.
Shops and eateries thrive off each other’s presence, and
together bring far more shoppers to the street than any one enterprise
alone could. Recently several art galleries have opened, and hair
dressing and esthetics shops now abound along the street.
Because these shops are small and often managed by their owners,
customers receive a personal touch that is missing from the franchises
in the mega-malls. Locals and returning customers are recognized
and treated as friends, not as anonymous buyers. Everyone gets
to know everyone. In fact, as it was in the 1920’s, Locke
South has become “the place” for a leisurely stroll,
browsing, and socializing.
However, specialty shops do not provide
the necessities of every day life for those living in the neighbourhood.
Property taxes in the neighbourhood are increasing, prices in
the shops are on the rise, Allenby school has closed. Water and
sewer infrastructures need upgrading. Parking continues to be a
perennial problem. Over all the City continues to pursue urban
sprawl development to the detriment of core urban redevelopment
and sustainability in neighbourhoods like Kirkendall.
These negative forces could slow or even terminate, Kirkendall’s ”renaissance”.
Certainly Kirkendall will never become the kind of self-sustaining
neighbourhood it was in 1925 unless all these negatives are dealt
with. Nevertheless, we should remember that for 200 years, Locke
South and Kirkendall have had their “ups and downs”,
and yet the street, the neighbourhood, and the Kirkendall spirit
have survived as something unique in Hamilton history. Hopefully
this heritage will endure for the next 200 years.
If you have any questions, comments or interesting bits of neighbourhood
history you want to share, please e-mail me at upanddown@lockestreet.com.
Cheers for now.
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