Aberdeen Avenue was named after
Lord Aberdeen (John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair) and
Lady Aberdeen (Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair) who both lived in Hamilton on
Bay Street South (1890-1898) with their four children. They presided over the opening of the Hamilton Public Library on September 16, 1890. Lord Aberdeen was appointed
Governor General of Canada in 1893. Historically, the Durand neighbourhood along Markland Street and Aberdeen Avenue, east of
Queen Street, was home to the 'industrialists'. This south of downtown neighbourhood is quite possibly the largest concentration of early 20th-century castles/
mansions in Canada. The grand homes were home to the families whose names graced the signs of the north end
factories and made their fortunes in
transportation,
finance and
industry. A
McMaster University research campus called McMaster Innovation Park is currently being developed on the former Camco lands near
Westdale. This will be an "idea factory" employing scientists and technicians.
CANMET will employ 100 research scientists and support workers, including some of the top minds in Canada and will be the anchor tenant of the facility. They will be working closely with McMaster researchers and private industry to develop technologies for metal and materials manufacturing, processing and evaluation. Expected to be up-and-running by 2010. Other tenants already announced for the park include a corrosion research centre sponsored by
General Motors and a diesel engine research lab sponsored by
Ford. ==Landmarks==