Platinum Condominiums | 81.3m | 24 fl | Complete

[thistleclub]

Respectable presentation for a no-frills entry.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

I'm sorry but this is yet another bad move for downtown. If All Saints is no longer viable as a place of worship, then it could be repurposed for any number of uses: music venue, bar / restaurant, bookstore / cafe, etc. Did they even pursue this avenue? It's a no-brainer given its location.


dezeen.com

Again, even as an atheist, I see this as a total and complete act of sacrilege. They don't build like this anymore and they NEVER WILL AGAIN! Just imagine the horror of the original parishoners of this church who sacrificed so much to have this beauty erected for their use on Sundays.

This new building will, judging by the awkward use of buttressing at the entrance, be a disappointment. Don't worry about that.

[ihateittoo]

Again I can't accept the location but I want the development. It's a similar situation to that of the school board. I feel there is a wasted potential. But in the case of the church, although needing plenty of repairs, a more significant building which is easier to retain. In general with this kind of development I think the "there's a billion empty lots (on prime corners!)" argument holds.

Lets demolish the car lot at Caroline and King and put it there. I like the size. The design has potential. It's good infill. 1/4 of a massive parking lot gone.

[Pearlstreet]

Originally Posted by hammerton

As a current resident of this neighborhood I would have no problem with a 12 story building going up at this location.

Ditto! It looks fantastic. Sad to see the church go, but its current state is unacceptable.

[ScreamingViking]

This has been quiet for too long. No surprise it's a no-go... I don't recall seeing the news about the financing being denied last year.

Hopefully something does happen with this.

Paul Wilson: Condo plan dies and tiny church seeks new deal

[Dwils01]

Truthfully I liked the design but not the location. Save the church and use it for a different function There's an empty lot just north of there on Queen that would be good for a building like this.
Don't know who owns that property and if they have plans for that site at all but it would be nice to see it developed.

[lucasmascotto]

Just in case ya'll weren't able to access the article...

Paul Wilson: Condo plan dies and tiny church seeks new deal
The Hamilton Spectator
By: Paul Wilson

Yes, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Slowly sometimes, too.

There is a beautiful stone church downtown, corner of King and Queen, that was scheduled to be gone by now. Where All Saints has stood for more than 140 years, a condo tower would rise.

Five years ago, we talked to Conrad Zurini, who chairs Hamilton's Affordable Housing Flagship. He was full of optimism and explained how the new building on the Anglican property would mean people with low to moderate incomes could buy a place to live.

It would be developed by a nonprofit outfit called Options For Homes. There were to be buyer seminars at the All Saints parish hall in the fall of 2009.

The project did run into hurdles. The city considered protecting All Saints with a heritage designation, then dropped the idea.

And there was an Ontario Municipal Board hearing. But Options got the OK to go 12 storeys, instead of six. That was two years ago. The Anglican church was delighted and said then that "we're moving ahead in earnest."

Walk past All Saints today and it's quiet as a graveyard. Three simple rooftop crosses still guard the church, but many of its historic windows are boarded over.

We need to check in again with Mr. Zurini.

The problem, he says, is money. The pot from which Options would finance the All Saints project comes from another agency called Home Ownership Alternatives. And it's temporarily tapped out.

Zurini says that's largely because Options has been so successful in the Greater Toronto Area. The most recent project there was nearly 700 units. Thousands of units have been built by the agency around the GTA.

It's a year ago that the Hamilton project — supported by well-known businessman Mark Chamberlain — was denied funding. Zurini estimates the All Saints tower would cost more than $20 million. At this point though, they'd just like to get $500,000 for construction drawings.

There's another chance to apply for funding next month. But Zurini says they would need to know first that the Anglicans are still onside.

"It's in God's hands, so to speak," he says. "It's a fundamental question they have to address."

Sounds like they already have. "That project is not going to happen, but another one will," says Reverend Ronda Ploughman of All Saints.

She's not yet sure what that project will be, "but we don't have a contract with Options For Homes anymore. We welcome them to make an offer, along with anyone else."

Ploughman places no blame whatsoever on Options. "It was just a matter of trying to put a deal together. That sometimes works and sometimes doesn't."

The Anglicans got All Saints — and the prime real estate that came with it — for one dollar. But that was a while ago.

Wealthy industrialist Samuel Mills built All Saints because he wanted a proper church in his neighbourhood. He died just six months after it opened, and his family later turned it over to the Anglicans for that token payment.

For generations, the pews were full. And then they weren't. The church struggled. In September of 1998, the Lord sent a further challenge. A moderate earthquake (Richter 5.4) damaged the four-storey bell tower. It was carefully disassembled, but there was no money to put it back up. And the church itself needed $6 million in repairs.

The small congregation began to meet in the basement of the nearby Queen's Garden nursing home. Numbers fell further yet.

But just a few months ago, they started having services each Sunday at 2 p.m. at Erskine Presbyterian on Pearl North. About 30 attend. "We are tiny but mighty," says Ploughman.

She came home to Hamilton a couple of years ago from the West, wanting to contribute downtown. "It's an exciting place to be."

She says the property at King and Queen is now essentially for sale, but not just to the highest bidder. There may be housing built there, but not necessarily priced below market. And whatever developer takes this on needs to make room for an All Saints ministry on the ground floor.

"We want something quite wonderful at that corner," Ploughman says. It will be very much about outreach — from mindfulness and stress programs to a craft co-op.

"We want to make a difference in our neighbourhood," she says, "enough that people would notice if we disappeared."

[thomax]

All Saints Anglican Church Demolition Preparation - 2/29/2016 by Joe, on Flickr


All Saints Anglican Church Demolition Preparation - 2/29/2016 by Joe, on Flickr


All Saints Anglican Church Demolition Preparation - 2/29/2016 by Joe, on Flickr


All Saints Anglican Church Demolition Preparation - 2/29/2016 by Joe, on Flickr

[NortheastWind]

Originally Posted by lucasmascotto

Just in case ya'll weren't able to access the article...

Paul Wilson: Condo plan dies and tiny church seeks new deal
The Hamilton Spectator
By: Paul Wilson

"She says the property at King and Queen is now essentially for sale, but not just to the highest bidder. There may be housing built there, but not necessarily priced below market. And whatever developer takes this on needs to make room for an All Saints ministry on the ground floor.

I assume a buyer was found? Are there plans? Are plans not needed before demolition?

That stone must be worth something too. It would be nice if it could be reused.

[interr0bangr]

wtf, can we stop tearing down shit without a legit plan in place?

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^nope...

[johnnyhamont]

James Baptist/ Conolly church building was demo'd before plans were in place also (that was somehow not an official demo, however...)

[atnor]

Originally Posted by johnnyhamont

James Baptist/ Conolly church building was demo'd before plans were in place also (that was somehow not an official demo, however...)

Do you know there are no plans for this site or the Connolly or are you making things up? I think the latter.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by atnor

Do you know there are no plans for this site or the Connolly or are you making things up? I think the latter.

He didn't say there are no plans. He said that the demolition permit was issued without plans in place, and that's true. So you think wrong.

[atnor]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

He didn't say there are no plans. He said that the demolition permit was issued without plans in place, and that's true. So you think wrong.

Some comments here sound like Raise the hammer tripe. How many people here have worked or have experience in city planning?

There are/were plans and coordination with the city but they aren't made available to the public until final approval. Also you can sit in on most public consultations or council meetings.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilt...onth-1.2545655

Sounds to me there were plans in place.

[eatboots]

Buildings still get demolished in this city without firm plans in place, there would just be a big empty hole on Gore Park right now if there had not been a (tenuous at best)heritage designation. The buildings kitty corner to the church came down real fast with no obvious plan in place, it appears the owners just did not want them designated heritage so better to sit on an empty lot than buildings that could get in the way of development.

[LikeHamilton]

The buildings kitty corner to the church are just outside the area where you have to have a plan and be ready to building within (and I'm not sure which) 1 or 2 years of demolition.

[thomax]

CHCH News: New church development in downtown Hamilton

A new fully accessible 6,000 square foot church will be constructed for the congregation of All Saints Anglican Church as part of a multi-story condominium complex situated at the corner of King St. And Queen St. South in Hamilton.

The developer is Rise Real Estate based in Hamilton.

Nearly 2 decades ago All Saints Church was damaged in an earthquake and in 2009 ongoing structural and safety issues forced the congregation to find temporary meeting space.

The property is being prepared for construction. Efforts to preserve the heritage of the former church are being undertaken. The altar, stone font, bell, and church cornerstones will be incorporated into the new church unit.

Affordable housing units will not be incorporated into the development.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Efforts to preserve the heritage of the former church are being undertaken. The altar, stone font, bell, and church cornerstones will be incorporated into the new church unit.

Don't bother...

[LikeHamilton]

Here is something on the company "Rise Real Estate" that is building the project.

http://www.cjob.com/files/2015/08/Ri...y14_2015-B.pdf

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jmyoung0711