Remembering Burnaby’s Eaton Centre

It was 1989 when Eaton Centre Burnaby was built by Metrotown and Station Square. Metrotown wasn’t the third-largest mall in Canada at that time and was connected to Eaton Centre and Station Square by walking overpasses. While Eaton Centre was eventually incorporated into Metrotown in a huge construction project in 2005, the remnants of Eaton Centre remain.

In 1998, Eaton Centre decided expand and build a destination for young people to shop and hang out. Thanks to Eaton Centre, we have places like SilverCity. Additionally, this is where the Rainforest Cafe was built (until it eventually closed in 2001).

Eaton Centre got its name from Eaton’s, a Canadian department store created in 1869 that was the largest of its kind at the time. Think of them as a Walmart crossed with The Bay, with mail-order catalogues that could be found in most homes across Canada. You could buy anything from Eaton’s. From clothes to farming equipment, bicycles, and even food, Eaton’s had it all. The stores were also known for their innovative technology like escalators and air conditioning, which were still considered high-end back then. Eaton’s was the largest store in Canada. That is until 1999 when the chain declared bankruptcy.

It wasn’t till 2005 that Eaton Centre was gone for good in a major mall renovation that combined it with Metrotown. This added a bunch of new stores and also gave way for Metrotown to have the biggest food court in all of Western Canada. And just like that, Metropolis at Metrotown was born.

Now, Metrotown is the largest mall in all of BC with three stories and nearly 330 different stores. It’s weird to think that the Metrotown we know and love is only 17 years old, but it’s interesting to walk through and look at all the great stores we have, all thanks to Eaton Centre.