STC150: The Pen Centre

In continuing our series on shopping in St. Catharines we are moving out of the downtown to the Pen Centre.

Originally located in what would have been considered the suburbs, the Niagara Peninsula Shopping Centre opened it first store - Loblaw’s store in 1957. One year later, fifty additional stores were opened on the site which was an open-air plaza. When the mall first opened, the 406 highway was not yet built so traffic travelled to Glendale Avenue via Merritton or Glenridge.

Construction of Highway 406 began in 1963 and the first section opened between St. Davids Road and Geneva Street on December 7, 1965 connected this new shopping centre to the downtown.

Simpson Sears Department Store opened in the plaza in 1966 and the mall also boasted 80 other stores at that time and was considered the fourth largest shopping centre in Canada.

In 1973, Eatons opened in the plaza and one year later, plans were made to enclose the entire shopping centre which was completed in 1975. Renovations of the mall have continued regularly over the course of the next 50 years. Today the mall is over 1 million square feet.

The above photo, taken in May 1960, shows the interior of the Sexton and Son florist shop located at the Pen Centre. (S1960.105.2.30)