Ferry Dock Hill

Since 1880, the old Customs House has stood proudly on Sarnia's waterfront. By the turn of the century, the Customs House was surrounded by freight offices, customs brokers and shipping offices. About 1910, the old Customs House was replaced by the current building. It was home to Canadian Immigration and Customs until 1956 when it was sold to a businessman from London. The building then operated as the Mariner Restaurant but it was unable to acquire a liquor license and wasn’t very successful. The law firm, by then known as McCart McEachran George and Curran, purchased 2 Ferry Dock Hill in the early 1960s and stayed for almost 60 years eventually evolving into George Murray Shipley Bell (GMSB). Now owned by the city, its structural integrity has been undermined in recent years by the rising water level of the St. Clair River. Demolition has recently been completed closing this chapter in Sarnia's history. It was the last commercial building directly on Sarnia’s downtown waterfront, and its removal creates an unbroken strip of green space extending from Imperial Oil to Sarnia Bay Marina. Information sourced from the internet, photos from March 2020.