Does anyone remember these things?

[Jake]

I was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital in 1970.Of course Hamilton was quite different back in the 1970s,and naturally a lot has changed since then.But I've often amazed people at how much I can remember from the past.I've been told I have a memory like an elephant.

Here are some things I recall in Hamilton during the first decade of my life,that you might find interesting(and some of you might remember).

On the corner of Main and Dundurn,syood a large flashing neon Firestone billboard.Inside each of the Firestone logo letters,were dancing black dots that gave a good light show at night.Up until 1984,this billboard dominated the Main and Dundurn corner.It was the first thing you would see if you drove into Hamilton from the Chedoke Expressway.
Currently this corner is dominated by a major Fortinos shopping plaza.

Even in the 70s downtown had much more to offer and was a much more happening place than now.
On the roof of the Union Gas building,stood a flashing neon sculpture of the Union Gas flame logo.It gave it's own light show at night,rotating from the word GAS in diagonal red letters,to flashing multicolours.
Gore Park looked quite different than too.There were underground washrooms that's access looked like subway entrances.
And of course there was Woolworths and Kresges,as well as a small Zellers store and an A&W drive in resturant.Not to mention the Tivoli Theatre.Plus the Bank of Commerce building looked nothing like it does now.It was a red bricked gothic structure with gothic arch windows and red neon letters at the top that spelled"Canadian Bank of Commerce".

On the corner of Burlington Street East and the QEW,stood a great big image of Gulliver on a huge billboard advertising a local motel,Gulliver's Travels.The motel itself stood on the corner of Queenston Road and Centennial Parkway,across from Eastgate Mall.Also on that block stood another A&W drive in resturant.

Funland Amusement Park was a dominating feature on Beach Boulavard for many years.Sadly it was gone by 1977.

Drive in movie places were much more common back then too.I'm pretty sure some of you would remember the Hamilton Drive In on StoneChurch Road West at the corner of Upper Paradise.It was sadly torn down in 1986 to make way for more residential development.
I also recall a drive in by clappisons corners as well.
The only drive in we have left is the StarLite on the Stoney Creek mountian.

The CH TV tower looked quite different too.Back then it would have been the CHCH TV tower.It used to be covered with little red lights that gently blinked on and off.By 1980 these lights were replaced with the ones that you see on the tower today.
_________________
I love a working class city.

[sugarton]

There's some things I wish I lived in Hamilton earlier, that I could have seen. Among them would be:

- Century (Lyric) Theatre. I have never seen interior pictures of this theatre before, even though I've walked through it in person many times in the past couple of years. It just isn't the same anymore.

- Tivoli Theatre. I have seen interior pictures, and it isn't that much different now... but I'd still like to see some more pictures. I'm sure it was grand with all the lights. I have no idea what the lobby looked like.

- Lister Block. I have only seen 3 pictures of the inside during it's use. They weren't that great... pretty grainy actually. The place is incredibly different now, very hard to try to imagine what it was like.

- Old City Hall. The pictures I've seen were extraordinary.

[Sean]

we will get to see the lister in some sort of glory again before too long -- not its original glory though