The name of Junction Hotel originated from the two railroads crossing in Hammond: the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific.
Alfred Gendron owned a hotel located close to the Bourget train station for over a year and then settled in Hammond on March 28, 1902. He purchased the Junction Hotel that belonged to Séraphin Bourgon, who had it built at the end of the 19th century.
The three-story building included 10 rooms for travellers (mostly commuting by train) and the Gendron Family. When they didn’t have enough rooms for clients, the kids would sleep in the attic. The building also included a tavern for men only, a bar, a kitchen and a dining room. There was also a showroom for merchants that later became the butcher shop.
The Junction Hotel kept its liquor licence until 1916 when it became illegal to sell alcohol in Ontario. Alfred later opened a food counter where chocolate, ice cream, soft drinks, tobacco and cigarettes were sold. Once it became legal in 1927 to sell alcohol, only beer was sold at the hotel. In 1955, René Gendron became owner, but it was only in 1962 that he obtained a permit to serve alcohol to women, albeit in a different room of the tavern!
The Junction Hotel was purchased by Gilles Roy in 1977 and major renovations took place. The hotel was renamed the Junction Tavern. Today, this building is an apartment block.