At least they are giving a nod to the old tivoli front that collapsed decades ago. Still.. this is yet another victim of demolition from neglect - just like the building in gore park that literally just collapsed yesterday, all part of blanchard's plan..

Also the loss of nabils from the plaza is another sad consquence (unless they can find another location downtown)

Other Spec stories referred to the Lyric/Century as the only other existing old theatre. That came down years ago.


‘Get a roof back onto it’: Heritage subcommittee rejects pitch to demolish Tivoli
Developer says incorporating the building into its plans isn’t feasible due to years of deterioration.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...257378ed5.html

Teviah Moro
The Hamilton Spectator
Nov. 13, 2024

A highrise developer’s pitch to demolish what’s left of a treasured but badly weathered downtown Hamilton theatre has stumbled on its first hurdle.

In a 6-0 vote Tuesday, the heritage permit review subcommittee rejected Aventus Developments’ application to raze the Tivoli’s heritage auditorium.

Aventus maintains incorporating the building into its plans isn’t feasible, citing a report that outlines a litany of problems, including asbestos, water damage, decaying plaster, worn bricks, deteriorating clay tiles and a rickety roof.

The original plan was to integrate the auditorium into an “iconic building” of two highrise towers connected by a “sky bridge,” planning consultant Edward John told the subcommittee.

But 18 months of study have revealed “challenges at every turn,” the product of the years that the vacant building languished without heating and cooling, making its incorporation “untenable,” he said.

The condition of the auditorium, which backs onto Hughson Street North, should have been apparent to Aventus when it bought the property two years ago, subcommittee chair Graham Carroll argued.

Restoring it will be expensive, he acknowledged.

“I do not deny that, but if you put the effort into it, you can fix it. Get a roof back onto it; get some heat on it; stop the deterioration right now, and then look at your plan for how do you fix the interior.”

...

You could most likely just rebuild it for less than it would cost to preserve and fix it - they might want to focus on that - pretend it's a new old building you're building and just remake the parts.

I'm actually sort of surprised by this - even Kroetsch is supportive of demolition, sort of surprisingly. And that dude LOVED to harp on about the Tivoli before being elected.

I think there would have to be a business case for maintaining a theatre of that size... and valuing "heritage" would not be easy.

It would be great to have that amenity. But someone has to pay for it.

Anyone think it will last the winter? Past Spring 2025? Into next fall???

There must be people squatting within. They're in future "grave danger" too if there is asbestos loose within, but probably not so worried about their longer terms. Demolition would have to account for dust, including anything toxic, so the city will have to act relatively quickly if this thing is at all likely to come down on its own in the coming months.


‘In grave danger’: Hamilton heritage committee backs Tivoli demolition plan
What’s left of the old James North theatre is not feasible to save, staff and consultants say.

Teviah Moro
The Hamilton Spectator
Dec. 14, 2024

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...301ff66fa.html

A highrise developer’s plan to demolish what’s left of a historic but badly deteriorating downtown Hamilton theatre has won the reluctant approval of the city’s heritage committee after a rash of landmark losses in the core.

What’s left of the former Tivoli Theatre off James Street North is at risk, with clay tiles, old bricks and supporting wood and steel all compromised after years of water seeping in through a rickety roof.

“The building, as it is today, is in grave danger of actually collapsing,” Paul Sapounzi, managing partner of +VG Architects, the developer’s consultants on the project, told the heritage committee on Friday.

Some of the decorative plaster work, interior elements designated under provincial heritage legislation, disintegrates with a touch of the hand, said Sapounzi, who also noted asbestos is floating through the air inside.

“The plaster cannot be saved. The backup to the plaster cannot be saved. The clay tile cannot be saved, and then there’s the brick that is problematic and how it’s tied to the building as well,” he said.

...


On Friday, the heritage committee backed staff’s recommendation to allow Aventus to raze the Tivoli, but subject to certain conditions the developer must heed.

They include a conservation plan for the remaining heritage elements, a blueprint to commemorate the heritage of the site in the redevelopment and a security payment covering the estimated cost of the required work.

...


Aventus plans to build two towers, at 35 and 40 storeys with 875 residential units between them, and 716 square metres of commercial area, as well as an event space paying homage to the old theatre.

The original plan was to integrate the Tivoli into an “iconic building” with the two towers connected by a “sky bridge,” planning consultant Edward John told the heritage permit review subcommittee last month.

But 18 months of study presented “challenges at every turn,” the product of the years the vacant building languished without heating and cooling, making its incorporation “untenable,” he said.

...


But valuable design elements, such as the ceiling, plaster work, proscenium, colonnades, statues and decorative wall features, remain inside.

The “good news,” Sapounzi said on Friday, is that plaster statues and medallions in the theatre are still “substantial enough” that they could be saved for display in the future development.

...

I doubt theres anybody in there, I walked around the building a few weeks ago and it was locked up tight. The damage is pretty obvious though, even from the outside. If it isn't demolished at some point during 2025, theres a pretty good chance there will be a partial or complete collapse shortly after that. It's looking very similar to the way the Gore buildings looked a few months ago. This place is way, way too far gone.

What's stopping some of these from being removed for preservation right now? One would think many of them would need to be taken out anyway before any structural work could be done, never mind demolition.

They'd end up being lost if the building were to collapse.

It's sad and unfortunate. But I think it is what it is at this point.

Saw many films there in the 1980s when I was still a pre-teen and teenager. The Empire Strikes Back was one that sticks in my mind.

At least we still have the playhouse theatre.. probably one of the only ones left..

I wish I had been old enough to go to the capitol theatre when it still existed.. or even the princess, 2 of the biggest theatres/opera houses in all of canada. A lot of people don't realize that the capitol theatre building exists now that you enter was JUST the entrance lobby - 2 floors of empty space (and an attic for the chains to hold the marquee) then stairs going up to a second floor that went over the alley and then into the theater which would have I believe faced east. I believe they held 3600 and 2400 people each. Sadly I never went to the tivoli - never went downtown really as a kid except for eatons, lived pretty close to fiesta growing up and it was either that or the theatre at center mall.

And they probably want an excuse to not have to - after all it wouldn't match their modern decor and they most likely have to wear hazmat suits just to get them all - after all asbestos is floating in the air so its a biohazard site. Everything would need to have to be cleaned and sterilized too due to that.

Interestingly, there is still a capitol theatre in windsor:

https://www.dlrgroup.com/work/capito...e-restoration/

https://www.dlrgroup.com/media/2022/...-2140x1427.jpg

https://www.dlrgroup.com/media/2022/...-2140x1774.jpg

the structure between theirs and ours is very similar.

Westdale too.

Very nice. Wouldn't expect that in Windsor.

Ah yes. I always forget that area is part of hamilton lol..

And yes windor still has a capitol theatre - thus its an easy way to see what ours would have looked like:

Entrance:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/...60-w1360-h1020

our entrance:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...9wY8w&usqp=CAU

our original lobby with stairs going up to hall over alleyway (ok yes it's technically the palace theatre one but they were both pretty much built the same):

https://cekan.ca/wp-content/uploads/...-theatre-2.jpg

hallway over alleyway:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/...60-w1360-h1020

our theatre:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...xQfsU&usqp=CAU

their theatre:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/...60-w1360-h1020