Downtown Mission – Commercial & Institutional
Area description
The main business district of Mission is the area between Grand Street and Murray. Its two principal streets are First Avenue and Second Avenue, and each of these has a different character. First Avenue is the commercial and trading area, where stores and banks are situated. Second Avenue is more of an institutional nature, with offices, library, a fraternity hall, museum and archives but it also includes some residences. These are not rigid definitions, since each of the two areas spills over slightly beyond these limits, but it broadly describes their functions.
The First Avenue commercial area mostly dates from the 1920s to the 1940s, and has a heritage feel to it, though with modern renovations. The oldest structure that still survives is a 1909 apartment and office building, constructed from hand-made blocks, and heritage lovers will quickly take note of other interesting heritage structures along the street, such as the Masonic hall and the Mission post office and the old Eaton’s department store. Many of the 1930s buildings are typically faced with brick, but are not so easily recognized as vintage today, beneath their coating of modern paint.
The year 2018 has seen First Avenue transformed by a major face-lift all the way from Grand to Murray. Road and side-walks were taken out and re-paved; large, curved flower beds were installed at each intersection; and new trees planted on either side – creating a green avenue with a European-style new look.