English: The original Grafton’s Department Store opened in Dundas in 1853. It became highly successful and by 1900 had expanded to Hamilton, Brantford, London, Peterborough and Owen Sound. The Hamilton store was located on James Street North, just north of King Street. The four storey building was constructed in 1895 and specialized in men’s and boy’s clothing. Later they added a line of women’s clothing as well.

On February 12, 1917 the store was completely destroyed by fire. Thousands gathered to watch the fire department fight the blaze in sub zero temperatures. As fast as they poured water on the building it froze. The store and its contents were completely destroyed. They had to wait until the weather improved and the ice melted before they could proceed with demolition and the building of the new store on the same site. The new Graftons opened on Saturday, January 5, 1918. The Graftons stores were merged with Jack Fraser in 1967 but the opening of Jackson Square, right across the street marked the death knell for the store. They couldn’t complete when their business dropped by 50% when the mall opened. They held a closing sale in June of 1973 putting an end to a 78 year tradition in downtown Hamilton.

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