Inauguration of Athènes Park

Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere and members of City Council held the official inauguration ceremony for Athènes Park today, in the presence of the Papadimitrios and Apostolakos families, former owners of Athens Restaurant-Pizzeria. 

The park, located between Braebrook and Hastings avenues, preserves the legacy of Athens Restaurant-Pizzeria and the Walton Shopping Centre, two places that were at the heart of neighbourhood life for several decades. 

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Morris Trudeau, former Mayor of the City of Pointe-Claire, as well as residents who came to recognize the important role these places played in the history of the neighbourhood. 

A Place That Is Part of Pointe-Claire’s History 

Before the park and the current residential development were built, the Walton Shopping Centre occupied the site and was home to several neighbourhood businesses, including Athens Restaurant-Pizzeria. 

Opened in 1970, Athens was purchased in 1972 by Maria, Harry and George Papadimitrios, who operated it together with their brother-in-law, Peter Apostolakos. For more than four decades, the restaurant welcomed generations of families and neighbours and became a well-known gathering place in Pointe-Claire. 

Athens closed its doors in 2016, but memories of the restaurant, its owners and the Walton Shopping Centre remain very much alive in the neighbourhood. 

Today, Athènes Park preserves this connection to the history of the site while recognizing the contribution of the Papadimitrios and Apostolakos families to Pointe-Claire’s commercial and social vitality. 

The inauguration was marked by a symbolic pizza-cutting ceremony and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque recounting the history of Athens Restaurant-Pizzeria and the site.