Auchmar Estate

[DC83]

Time to make some money on heritage buildings

http://www.auchmar.info/images/Auchmar-May-25.jpg
photo by Chris Ecklund, http://www.auchmar.info/about_site.html

9/25/2008

The city is about to start getting some tax revenue out of one of its vacant heritage buildings.

It has reached an agreement with Columbia International College which will lease the coach house at Auchmar Estates for use as a student residence.

It's a five-year deal, with Columbia responsible for the cost of what are being called "significant" upgrades to the building's interior. The exterior is controlled by a heritage designation.

Councillor Terry Whitehead says it's an opportunity to generate some revenue and reduce vandalism at the west mountain property.

http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocalGeneral/story.aspx?ID=1028920

Coach House
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/225/489146782_b201c699ef.jpg?v=0
by NormF at Flickr.com, http://flickr.com/photos/normf/489146782/

[SteelTown]

Good news. I heard about this on cable 14 but again I can barely track what's happening at council. It's like they talk in a foreign language.

[Hammer Town]

I should try and get in there to take some shots before they start working. its a really cool building. Heck Im right there every day of the week anyway.

[markbarbera]

This is a great use for the site. Congrats to whoever brokered the deal. A student residence is a logical extention to its former use.

[SteelTown]

Private school eyes Auchmar for dorm

September 27, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

Columbia International College is negotiating with the city to lease the Auchmar Estate coach house as a student dorm.

Jim Campbell, Columbia's general manager, confirmed yesterday that the private boarding school, which has students from across the globe, hopes to reach an agreement with the city by Oct. 15 to use a portion of the heritage building.

Councillor Terry Whitehead said the coach house would have to undergo upgrades to get the interior up to code. The initial estimate is $500,000 to $800,000, he said.

Who pays for that and what needs to be done still has to be worked out in the lease negotiations, Campbell said.

The city will gain from the deal since the estate, on Fennell Avenue West at West 5th Street, is a "money pit" and a target of vandalism, Whitehead said.

The dorm would house about 15 students in Grades 7 and 8.

[SteelTown]

Columbia leases Auchmar facility for student residence

By Kevin Werner
News
Oct 03, 2008

Hamilton's historic Auchmar Estate is being taken to school.

Councillors last week approved a five-year lease arrangement with Columbia International College to house 15 students in the Coach House on the estate.

Terms of the lease were not released, but the college is required to pay fair market value in rent to the city.

"This will deter the vandalism that is occurring there and (Columbia) will be paying market value rent," said Hamilton mountain councillor Terry Whitehead. "It's a win-win situation."

Tim McCabe, general manager of planning and economic development, said Columbia will construct 12 rooms on the top floor of the Coach House, while remodeling the bottom floor for dining and laundry facilities. The students, he said, are in grades seven, eight and nine.

When contacted last month about the proposed lease arrangement with the city, Colombia officials refused to comment.

Columbia International College, located on Main Street West, is the largest private boarding school in Canada. It teaches high school and pre-university prep courses.

The Coach House's exterior is historically designated, but the interior is not, said Mr. McCabe. Columbia, said Mr. McCabe, will pay the costs for upgrading the facility. The students are expected to move into the Coach House by the middle of October.

Mr. Whitehead said Columbia officials had been looking at another facility in the Chedoke area to house their students, but when it became apparent they wouldn't be able to move into their originally planned facility in time, they approached the local councillor about alternative arrangements. Mr. Whitehead, city staff and Columbia officials have been discussing the arrangement to use the Coach House for about two months.

Even though the lease is for five years, it is expected that Columbia will not use the Coach House at 88 Fennell Avenue the entire time. Mr. Whitehead expects the college to use it for about two years.

"This will create taxes, there is no imposition on the easement and it will reduce the vandalism on the property," he said.

The Ontario Heritage Trust has an easement on the Auchmar property. Any potential development on the historical landmark needs approval from the OHT.

Colombia's deal will provide enough time for city staff to finalize their plans to transform Auchmar into a conference or banquet facility.

City staff have been struggling to come up with alternative uses for Auchmar. A proposed redevelopment plan for Auchmar that would have allowed the Settlement Integration Services Organization (SISO) to purchase the property failed last year.

Councillors earlier this year agreed to issue a request for proposals to have Auchmar redeveloped, but so far there have been no serious takers.

[astroblaster]

i'm curious about the status of this place.

is the coach house deal with Columbia College still going through? I haven't seen any action on the site.

any news about the main house?

does the city own the property?

[SteelTown]

I believe Columbia College dropped out of the deal.

[SteelTown]

Auchmar Estate – Business Plan

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/0ACC370F-B387-4A1B-88D2-40489B525953/0/Oct06EDRMS_n94230_v1_8_8__CS10095__Auchmar_Estate_Business_Plan.pdf

[mattgrande]

Via The Spec:

Work under way at Auchmar (http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/615440--work-under-way-at-auchmar)


Auchmar Manor is getting nearly $50,000 worth of repairs.

The front and rear entrances of the historic west Mountain mansion are being restored, as are the hurling stucco and underlying masonry, said Jennifer Kaye, the city’s acting director of culture.

Eavestrough and roof repairs are being done to ensure water runs away from the structure, and some conservation of woodwork around doors and windows is also under way.

“Mostly this is about stabilizing,” said Kaye, and not restoring the century-and-a-half-old structure.

The work is expected to be completed by year’s end.

Auchmar was built in 1854 by Isaac Buchanan.


$50K doesn't seem like it'd go very far.

[hammerton]

Via The Spec:

Work under way at Auchmar (http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/615440--work-under-way-at-auchmar)



$50K doesn't seem like it'd go very far.

I would have to concur, got to see it at Doors Open Hamilton. Very cool property. Quite the intersection Fennel and W5 is becoming with the work going on at the looney bin and Mohawk College.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Mohawk College is such a good fit...why the hell hasn't this happened already??

[SteelTown]

Staff is seeking confirmation of Council’s direction for the adaptive re-use of Auchmar for community/private/public purposes, to conduct consultation with local community and heritage stakeholder groups, and to proceed with the comprehensive operational plan.

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/81BB3E32-A0B5-4DB4-A4E7-3A2156B9E193/0/Oct17EDRMS_n364412_v1_6_3b__PED12193.pdf

[bluevue]

I hate to rely on a few key family names in this city, as they appear to be doing a lot lately, but would it make sense for the Mercanti's (Carmen's et al) to entertain buying this property? It would be key for corporate events and weddings (outdoor weddings, receptions etc)...could hold more than one wedding at a time? Indeed...it would be the middle point from the Carmen's banquet center to the convention center (both of which they own or will be running). There are other large developers in the city that never seem to have any interest in putting their names on buildings or projects, but this would be a good one. I use the Paletta Mansion as an example of something a family has done wonders for in Burlington....giving back to the community...Of course we have the Brailey's, Joyce, Young, that regularly do something (and big), but what about the other.....Alexanians, Wise, Dicenzo etc....where are they at these opportune times. If you are a developer, you already have the resources to do this with your key partners and experience....again, not that we should be looking for handouts from these families, but it could be opportunity to put their mark on the city (in a way that many would see, benefit and appreciate.

[SteelTown]

City turns to private sector to run Auchmar

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/3250120-city-turns-to-private-sector-to-run-auchmar/

The city is officially putting out a call to the private sector to help save one of its most iconic buildings.

Staff are asking for proposals for "the use, adaptive reuse, conservation and management of the entire Auchmar Estate," a historic city-owned property at the corner of Fennell Avenue and West 5th Street.

Councillors voted last October to ask the private sector to run the historic Gothic-style mansion, once the home of Sir Isaac Buchanan. Staff will review the proposals, then come back to councillors with several options.

The call for proposals is a crucial step for the long-term health of the building. Though the city hopes to preserve the mansion, Auchmar needs millions of dollars in repairs — and that money is also needed to maintain other city infrastructure. A partnership with the private sector would allow the city to preserve Auchmar's historical elements while funnelling some much-needed cash into the building's preservation.

The call for proposals doesn't offer any specific guidelines about the use of the building. If Auchmar were to remain solely under city control, staff proposed turning the building into a meeting and reception facility.

This is far from the first time the city has considered partnering with the private sector on Auchmar. At one point, there was a proposal to turn it into medical and professional offices. The now-defunct Settlement and Immigration Services of Ontario (SISO) also eyed the building. Developer Warren Green once proposed redeveloping the building, but with the stipulation that a part of the historic property would used to build townhouses. All of these proposals fell through.

City staff will host a meeting for interested bidders at the Dundurn Castle Coach House on Monday June 3 at 2 p.m.

Bidders are asked to drop off sealed requests for information (one original plus three copies) to the Procurement Manager, City of Hamilton Procurement Section, Standard Life Building, 120 King St. W., 9th Floor, Suite 900, Hamilton, ON, L8P 4V2.

The city will be accepting these packages until 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 20.

[bluevue]

almost another year has already passed, and yet another year of decay. Ridiculous.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

It's a home, people should live in it. The last thing we need is another museum as was proposed some time ago. An inn perhaps? It'd be a great place for weddings or other large functions.

[SteelTown]

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/EB7530CA-513F-4465-B24C-E67FC354C02E/0/Sep058_1__PED13151.pdf

The RFI process closed on June 20, 2013. A total of seven submissions were received from a variety of for-profit and not -for-profit organizations:

Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology;
Cobalt Connects;
Sahar Hospitality, Inc.;
Collaborative (Beverly Bronte-Tinkew and Diane Barrafato);
Novacore;
Landmark Group; and,
Friends of Auchmar and the Hamilton Heritage Foundation.

[thistleclub]

Hotel Auchmar? (http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news/hotel-auchmar/)
(Hamilton Mountain News, Mark Newman, Aug 30 2013)

Don’t expect to be checking into Hotel Auchmar any time soon.

Turning the west Mountain heritage site into an accommodation facility was among the seven suggestions the city received after it put out a call at the end of May for ideas from qualified, able vendors for the reuse, conservation and management of the Auchmar Estate at Fennell and West 5th.

“There were some good ideas,” said Anna Bradford, director of the city’s tourism and culture division. “Anything from a banquet facility, hotel, a meeting place, a conference centre and corporate head office.”

Bradford said it will be up to the city’s general issues committee to determine if the response warrants a formal request for proposals for the reuse of Auchmar or some other course of action.

A report on the matter is slated to go before the GIC on Sept. 5.

Meanwhile, a new roof was installed on the mansion building in the spring and painting around the roof lines wrapped up a few weeks ago.

“We’re still doing work on the windows right now,” said Bradford, who noted the window restoration work will continue next summer.

Also next summer,Bradford said the city will repair the stone walls around the site at a cost of about $800,000.

[durandy]

$800K to repoint some stone walls. Classic city budgeting.

[thistleclub]

Secret non-profit wants to buy Auchmar Estate (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/secret-non-profit-wants-to-buy-auchmar-estate-1.2684839)
(CBC Hamilton , Samantha Craggs, June 23 2014)

A secret non-profit organization is interested in buying Hamilton’s historic Auchmar Estate, but councillors have turned down the idea of private negotiations in favour of a public call for offers.

Councillors on the general issues committee narrowly turned down the idea of a special negotiation, despite city manager Chris Murray arguing the nonprofit's offer is significant and unique enough to hold off on the planned request for proposals for the historic mansion.

The non-profit has enough money to buy, renovate and maintain the building, and is “national, if not international,” said Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8.

The development would generate less traffic than a restaurant and the proposed use would be compatible with the neighbourhood, he said.

But the non-profit's aversion to going public was a factor in the 7-6 Monday to move ahead with the current plan of issuing an RFP.

“How does this benefit the city to preempt the RFP and sole source it?” Coun. Brad Clark said.


Read it in full here (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/secret-non-profit-wants-to-buy-auchmar-estate-1.2684839).

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Yeah, wouldn't want a restaurant there > people might actually like it which would result in 'traffic.' Cheers, Ter.

[thomax]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5649/23139972982_9fb71d2e6c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BfNpMq)
Auchmar Manor - Painted Stucco (https://flic.kr/p/BfNpMq) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/22735588508_349ac422bb_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AD4Qnj)
Auchmar Manor - Painted Stucco (https://flic.kr/p/AD4Qnj) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/563/23165504401_05131dbece_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Bi4goi)
Auchmar Manor - Painted Stucco (https://flic.kr/p/Bi4goi) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5685/23165704441_d0dc8bb433_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Bi5hRg)
Auchmar Manor - New and old stucco (https://flic.kr/p/Bi5hRg) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/577/23140055142_02f9f11d1d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BfNQcY)
Auchmar Manor Balcony (https://flic.kr/p/BfNQcY) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/657/23165572711_7cfc174d4b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Bi4BG4)
Auchmar Manor Front Door (https://flic.kr/p/Bi4BG4) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5766/22761852649_a882d1b73e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AForMk)
Restored stone carriageway at Auchmar Manor (https://flic.kr/p/AForMk) by Joe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/-jm/), on Flickr

[matt602]

For a stucco job that actually looks pretty good.

[realcity]

What I love, other than the grounds, is the interior hallways.

[old]

i heard some time ago that a Mohawk wanted to set up its building renovation/historical restoration/architecture branch as a sub-campus there, but maybe that's all been lost in the years

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Could anything make MORE sense than that? No doubt the City/ Whitehead has bungled this one...

[ScreamingViking]

Huge improvement.

[SteelTown]

A new city plan for Auchmar

Hamilton Spectator
By Mark McNeil
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6244035-a-new-city-plan-for-auchmar/

The city could operate Auchmar at close to a break-even basis, but the historic building on Hamilton Mountain would still need $6 million to $8 million in capital costs, according to a city official.

Ian Kerr-Wilson, the manager of museums and heritage presentation, says the building could be adaptively reused for weddings, meetings, seminars, retreats, tours and other events that would gradually see increasing annual revenues over four years to $130,000 from $65,000.

But expenses would be slightly more, ranging from $109,000 to $136,000 per year over the same period, he told members of the municipal heritage committee Thursday.

When pressed by Coun. Judi Partridge about renovation costs, Kerr-Wilson acknowledged "that capital is the big elephant" and "it's a difficult nut to crack."

And while he felt the adaptive reuse plan was viable, he noted "it could be a disaster if we don't run it properly."

Auchmar, at the northeast corner of Fennell Avenue and West 5th, was built in the 1850s by Isaac Buchanan, who was a prominent merchant and politician in Hamilton.

Kerr-Wilson's presentation is the latest development in the city's effort to find an economically viable use for the facility that has been owned by the city since 1999. Since 2008, more than $2.5 million has been spent on stabilization work on the roof and chimneys, foundations, stucco, windows and stone walls, among other things.

Some of the big ticket items that haven't been done are upgrades to heating, electrical, plumbing and sewer lines, an elevator, a sprinkler system and air conditioning.

The operational plan was requested by council after putting on hold a proposal to sell the building and another plan to find requests for proposals from the private sector.

Meanwhile, Diane Dent, the president of Friends of Auchmar, argued the plan, even with the extensive capital costs, is viable. She noted the Bell Gairdner estate, own by the City of Mississauga, was once in a similar predicament and has since been transformed into a viable wedding centre.

"It was a wreck. It's been restored. The City of Hamilton should get the business plan from them."

She feels renovation funds could be raised.

"Somehow we have to do crowd funding, get some good grants and we are all willing to help."

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Sweet baby Jesus! This is worse than St Marks...

[oldcoote]

The city is going to screw this up.

[SteelTown]

Auchmar House garden walls

Total cost: $817,000

Federal contribution: $273,000

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7325745-hamilton-scores-2-million-in-canada-150-grants/