Mercantile History

Waterloo was officially incorporated into a village in 1857. Merchant trade in the region created a town in 1876, which grew into a city by 1948. In 1857, a merchant named William Hespeler built the Granite Mills in Waterloo, Ontario with a contractor by the name of George Randall. The business sold dry goods from the mill in a store located near the corner of King and Erb Streets in Waterloo. A small distillery evolved within the mill known as the Waterloo Distillery. Joseph Emm Seagram eventually bought the company creating the famous Seagrams whiskey known around the world today.

During this same era, future entrepreneur David Kuntz was born June 23rd, 1819 in Wiesbaden, Germany. In the early 1840’s David immigrated to Canada and in 1844, and as a brewer and a cooper, which was a maker of casks by trade, he founded the Kuntz Brewery in Waterloo. Kuntz Beer was one of the most well-recognized beer brands in Ontario during the 19th and early 20th century. The brewery was bought by Carling in 1929, becoming Carling-Kuntz, and by 1977 was acquired by the Labatt Brewing Company acquired the company.

Waterloo Town Square

The town centre once filled mercantile trade now has specialty boutiques, restaurants, coffee houses and the Shops of Uptown Waterloo. The main courtyard has amphitheatre seating, as well as an upper terrace area. The public square is a gathering place for concerts, festivals, markets and events, and in the winter transforms into an ice rink for public skating.

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Waterloo City Hall

The old Waterloo town hall was at Albert and Erb Street, where the Marsland Centre is now located. Unfortunately, the building was taken down in 1969, and the new Waterloo City Hall is now located on Regina Street just one block east of King, a few blocks from the public square.

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