A 1940s gas station is visible with a sign reading 'Imperial Station' hanging above. A car is parked at a pump. Another sign at ground level says 'Hockey' and the signs of neighbouring businesses are visible.
A car is parked at the Imperial Service Station at 224 St. Paul Street in 1938. 

The arrival of the automobile to St. Catharines streets was marked by widened and paved roads, car sales lots, and gas stations. This Imperial (later Esso) gas station operated at the corner of St. Paul and Bond streets between 1923-1960. The building reopened as the Balsom Food Market in 1965, likely when it got its groovy architectural expansion and update. Since the 1970s, it’s been home to a variety of other businesses. 

Careful examination of this photo reveals the effects of time and change in the downtown. Cars, mural art, and even once in-vogue facades cover the earlier elements of this intersection which also included the old street car tracks. These layers make the foundation of the neighbourhood in which we play out our day-to-day business.  

What might this intersection look like in the years to come?  

Another View of Bond Street

The photo below relays the humming industrial businesses of downtown both to serve residents but and also manufacture goods. This building was at one point a garage for cars, but in this photo, the building is vacant.

Pictured is a two story brick building with large windows. Electricity and telegraph poles are visible. A car 1930s or 1940s car is parked next to the building.
The next photograph in the series reveals a neighbouring building, which today is home to Liberty Bicycles. S1938.4.9.6

There’s More to the Story

Visit the installations in-person at the addresses listed or navigate using the coordinates marked with Purple Pins on the History InSite map or navigate the installation online using the History Pin map.

About History InSite

A permanent, site specific installation, History InSite juxtaposes historical photographs with modern streetscapes by presenting the photo in, or close to, the place which it was taken.

St. Catharines has a rich photographic history and when compared to the changing streetscapes around the City, that history becomes much more meaningful, poignant, and relevant to our modern eyes.

The Downtown series was installed in July 2021. The Port Dalhousie series was installed in May 2022. The Merritton series was installed in May 2023.

History InSite is presented by the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre.

Graffiti Report

If you spot any graffiti on our purple History InSite signs, please send us a message.