Strolling in the Sun

Strolling in the Sun. The Beach Promenade. , The first public walkway along the lakefront was built in 1910. The Burlington Beach Commission planned the promenade. The Commission looked after the area's health, park development, policing, street lighting, and garbage collection., The residents wanted to share their community with all Hamiltonians. But the area needed more services, both for these residents and for the many summertime visitors. , The Commission responded to the needs of both seasonal and year-round beach residents by creating a long, elaborate promenade. Ornamental street lamps lined the wooden walkway. Visitors could stop and rest in small pagodas decorated with Chinese lanterns. The promenade was a quiet, soothing place. It was quite different from the more active public areas of the beach, where swimming areas, baseball diamonds, snack bars, and amusement rides attracted many visitors., After World War One, the beach area changed dramatically. Summer cottages became permanent residences, as a severe housing shortage took hold. Water and air pollution increased, and so people who had once enjoyed the promenade and beach activities, began to stay away. Increased use of the area as a transportation corridor between the Niagara Peninsula and Toronto meant that Hamiltonians no longer wished to stroll along the lakeshore.