Remember that time you were a kid? Dufferin Mall holds a secret from those days. It wasn’t always a gleaming mall. Before the shops and the food court there was something else entirely. Right here on this very spot stood the Dufferin Park Racetrack. This was in the early 1900s. For almost fifty years the thunder of hooves echoed across this land. The air filled with the excitement of the races. Then in 1955 it was all over. The track closed. The Ontario Jockey Club sold the land.
Dufferin Mall didn’t spring up overnight. It began life as a humble shopping plaza in 1957. A far cry from the three-level behemoth we see today. Back then it was a collection of independent stores. These were mostly locally owned businesses. It boasted a parking lot. This was big news at the time. It could hold two thousand cars. Can you imagine? The plaza offered a diverse range of shops. This included a Coles bookstore a Tamblyn Drugs and even a bowling alley. Imagine the clatter of pins echoing through the basement.
In the 1970s everything changed. The plaza was enclosed. It became Dufferin Mall as we know it. The mall’s modern architecture became a feature of the established inner-city neighbourhood. It represented the desire to bring modernism to the area. The mall attracted huge crowds. It quickly became one of the busiest malls in North America. It is still popular today. More than twelve million visitors a year pass through its doors.
The mall has seen a lot of changes throughout its history. Anchor tenants like Eaton’s Woolco and Zellers have come and gone. The space they left behind was filled by new stores. Today Dufferin Mall remains a thriving hub of retail activity. It stands as a testament to the ever-evolving nature of Toronto’s west end. It reflects its rich and often surprising past. The food court is popular today. It sits in the southwest corner. The three-level parking lot provides ample parking. This makes shopping at Dufferin Mall quite convenient. So next time you’re in the Brockton Village neighbourhood. Take some time to explore this local landmark. You will discover a fascinating history lurking beneath its modern facade. It is more than just a shopping mall. It’s a living history of Toronto. A captivating story etched into its very structure.