25-year-old time capsule finally opens at Bramalea City Centre

It was a celebration 25 years in the making with the opening of the Bramalea City Centre time capsule last weekend.

On April 25th, 1998, a time capsule was filled by shops at Bramalea City Centre and sealed with institutions of “Do Not Open Until 2023.”

Since then an online contest was launched asking residents to guess its contents, and the wait was finally over on Saturday (May 6) with the opening of the capsule and a display of its retro contents.

From cassette tapes, DVDs and old shopping catalogues, the capsule revealed a snap-shot look at the centre in the ‘90s. Here’s are some of the treasures dug out of the time capsule:

• Bramalea City Centre 25th anniversary celebration brochure and cassette tape
• Pictures of each store in the mall from April 1998
• A picture of 1998 Brampton Mayor Peter Robertson with a note from him on signed on April 25, 1998
• Bramalea City Centre Map
• Sears Catalogue
• A Chrysler Success Story Wheels magazine
• An issue from the Brampton Guardian Weekend edition from April 24, 1998
• Brampton Economic Development package and DVD

The event was hosted by Daniel Lewis, Chair of the Brampton Board of Trade, with the Peel Art Gallery, Museum + Archives (PAMA) opening time capsule.

The grand opening of the capsule was also marked with musical performances by the 70s-inspired band Escapade and even an Elvis impersonator along with activities and photos that provided a snapshot of Brampton’s past.

PAMA also recently took a trip down memory lane at the mall with a video looking back to March 28, 1973, when the first opened and some of the funky and fashionable style trends back in the day.

Bramalea City Centre is the largest shopping centre in the city and the fifth-largest mall in all of Ontario. The two-level shopping centre offers 1.5 million square feet of retail shopping space, showcasing a tenant mix of over 300 stores.