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Westinghouse Building
New Owners Begin Work on Westinghouse Building, One of the Boarded Jewels of Hamilton
HP2017-037 is the permit number, but for Hamiltonians living in the north central neighbourhoods of the Lower City, it represents a major milestone for urban revival along Barton Street. The new owners of the Canadian Westinghouse Company building at 286 Sanford Avenue North were granted a heritage permit for the repair and replacement of over 300 windows in the seven-story 1917-constructed building. The permit application says the owner is replacing “all windows to match the original aesthetic” of the building. The plan is to replace 271 and repair 35 windows on the building. As well, five doors will be replaced. All 35 windows being repaired are on the first level. |
So nice to see some progress on this. And it's great that they're intending to keep it for commercial use... I'm all for adaptive reuse as residential where it makes sense, but I think we're seeing more and more of the older north-end industrial buildings being used for new business purposes, and to me this building belongs with them and not turned into condos or apartments.
My dad worked in this building for a time. |
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There are plans and hopefully things will be starting soon. I toured it last week. Obviously it needs a lot of work, but it has great bones.
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PAUL WILSON: Deserted Westinghouse headquarters — old memories, new hope
https://www.thespec.com/living-story...ries-new-hope/ There's a grey Buick Enclave in town with plates that say MYLER. That's not the name of the owner, a retired teacher named Archie McQueen. Those plates are his way of thanking a man who died some 70 years ago. It's a story that starts long ago — and now has an exciting $10-million finish. Paul Judson Myler was born in Pittsburgh in 1869. At 17, he joined the Westinghouse company and quickly rose through the ranks. He was sent to Canada and set up a national headquarters. He found just the right place here in Hamilton, at the foot of Sanford, a block north of Barton. And exactly 100 years ago, up went the handsome five-storey Westinghouse office building. A dozen years later, they added two more floors. The company was a powerhouse, manufacturers of transformers, hydro generators, radios, stoves, refrigerators. Myler remained the president of Canadian Westinghouse for a record 22 years. He lived in a fine home at 61 Robinson St. He and wife Maude had no children, but kept lots of help around the place. And one of them was Archie McQueen's aunt, Ella Baird. She went on to become Westinghouse's Director of Nurses at its west plant. But she lived in the Myler mansion, and provided nursing care to Maude, who had diabetes and severe asthma. Sometimes Aunt Ella talked of going out on her own, McQueen says. "But Mr. Myler told her, 'If you stay with us, you'll never have to work again.'" McQueen says his family stopped by the Myler house on Sundays. They would ring the bell and Helen the maid would come to the door. So would two white Samoyeds, Buzz and Tootie, who always nearly knocked young Archie down. Myler had candy for McQueen and sisters Joan and Peggy, and his wife had coins. The Mylers took a special shine to Joan, the oldest, and made it possible for her to attend Strathallan school. The McQueens had no car, but Myler sent his chauffeured Packard over each morning to get the girl to class. Myler died in 1945, age 75. His wife died the next year, an asthmatic attack at the dining room table. The Mylers were good to their word, and left nurse Ella a sum equal to $1.2 million in today's dollars. She lived well, travelled all over the world. But she didn't blow it all, and when she died a portion of her legacy was left to her nephew. McQueen used part of it to set up a charitable fund in her name with the Hamilton Community Foundation. A few weeks ago, McQueen got his Buick rustproofed at a shop near the Hamilton General. While they were doing the work, he took a walk. He went past the old Westinghouse headquarters. He's done that before, a sentimental stroll. A sad one, too, because the building's been empty for 30 years. But this time, McQueen was delighted to see that there's work underway. The sign on the construction fence says McCallum Sather, and we check in with Drew Hauser, a director with the local architectural firm. He promises a big announcement in a month or so. But, yes, this neglected heritage building is finally finding salvation. Crews are now clearing out and opening up the interior. By next summer there will be seven floors of clean, high-ceilinged, energy-efficient office space, 10,000 square feet per floor, with lots of natural light. The backers are said to be mostly local, and the project is valued at $10 million. There are similar spaces in the Cotton Factory on Sherman North. But that vast property is now pretty much full. The Westinghouse building will probably appeal to a similar kind of client. A century ago, Paul Myler believed this part of town had promise. After decades of decline, that's once again true. |
That's a remarkable story....glad to hear of what will be done with this building :)
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Cool, my Uncle used to own and run Sanford Battery for a long time...
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ooh all that glorious glorious architectural detail.. I hope they keep it :)
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McCallum Sather Architects Inc. announced that they'll be making Westinghouse their new headquarters...
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Awesome! :)
Excited to see the interiors once they are done restoring them :) |
Great news.
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Wicked.
And Woodland/s Park across the way. It would be nice if the City threw a few bucks at it. You ever wonder why it's called Woodlands Park? Nary a...ummm...wood to be found. Check out Hamilton postcards to see how beautiful it used to be. |
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sheesh that brick has seen better days..
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Ahh what a beautiful building.. the new windows are looking good..
they just don't make 'em like they used to :) Whats happening with the blocked in windows - will they be opened up as well? I see one has an old window sill in it still.. or maybe it's a new window sill.. hard to tell.. |
https://www.thespec.com/opinion-stor...ory-then-some/
It's colder in the former Canadian Westinghouse head office building than it is outside. It's -12 C on Sanford Avenue on a December day, yet the four people leading us on an icy tour of the long vacant building are so optimistic about its future they radiate warmth. "The space in this building is phenomenal because it has incredible history and architectural details," says architect Joanne McCallum. The Westinghouse office building, at 286 Sanford Ave. N., is being reborn and McCallum Sather Architects have signed on as the first anchor tenants. They will occupy the 10,000-square-foot second floor, with a move-in date set for June 1. It's been at least 30 years since there were desks and switchboards here, and business being conducted in this building. Yet evidence of its grand history is visible behind the boarded up windows and shackled doors. The terrazzo floors with marble borders live under layers of dust. The ornate pillars, the panelled office of the president, and the decorative ceiling in the auditorium remain. It's this history that attracted Meir Dick and Ray Hutton to the lonely building north of Barton Street East. They are partners in the financing, design, construction and management of the building on behalf of the investors. [Video] For us, we always try to retell the story of Westinghouse," Dick is saying as we tour the light filled second floor where banks of windows, at least 40, are being replaced. "The Westinghouse story is its long history as an economic industrial power and major employer of 11,000 people in Hamilton alone." The Canadian Westinghouse head office was built in 1917, designed by Prack & Perrine, the predecessor to Prack & Prack, designers of the Pigott building and Lister Block. The five-storey brick and stone building (two more storeys were added in 1928) became a landmark in the Barton and Sanford area. The large, arched windows of the ground floor and decorative keystones and cornices were key elements in the building's dignified design and projected a proud corporate image. Nearby, the Westinghouse plant was evolving from making railroad air brakes to becoming a major manufacturer of gas turbines, transformers, water wheel generators, circuits, stoves, toasters and refrigerators. The Westinghouse success story and its place in Hamilton history is a major reason Ray Hutton, a native of Hamilton, got involved in the project. In the only heated space in the building he shows images of the original blueprints for it and talks of discovering old photos in the Ontario Archives and McMaster Library. There are photos of elegant dinners in the Westinghouse boardroom and of the ornate auditorium complete with projection booth. His family, through the Hutton Foundation, is providing a portion of the financing for the redevelopment. "The project is significant to our family as Hamiltonians, because we see it as having the potential to be a catalyst in the revitalization of the Barton commercial corridor as well as the community at-large." The Westinghouse office building faces the big open space of Woodlands Park. It's close to the community minded 541 Eatery & Exchange and the Barton Public Library. The area is changing and the plans for the building, the partners believe, fit right in. There is 50,000 square feet of commercial office space, and about 30,000 square feet available for food or event space. That space could be used to bring the community in and contribute to the revival on Barton. "When the building is full, there are so many windows here, we will have eyes on the street," McCallum says. McCallum Sather is already working on plans for their office space, but they are also the architects and mechanical and heritage consultants for the entire project. "We are aiming for net zero carbon," says architect Greg Sather. Sustainable systems will be worked into the building, and for their space they are designing the office of the future. "There will be no assigned desks," McCallum says gleefully. In Hamilton, there is no shortage of vacant office space, but class A space like what the Westinghouse headquarters will have to offer is in short supply, according to McCallum. Hutton and Dick say that two more prime tenants are close to signing. Twenty years ago Siemens bought Westinghouse, but by 2010 it had moved the Hamilton gas turbine jobs to the United States. Now, Empire Steel occupies portions of the 620,000-square-foot plant. It took much longer to find a purpose for the elegant office building. In 2001, the city took possession of 286 Sanford for tax arrears. They estimated it would take $5 million to repair the heritage designated building. It was put up for sale as surplus property and bought for $200,000 in 2003. The new owners are not saying how much it will cost to bring back the Westinghouse headquarters building but their commitment is on view at the job site. Many of the 300-plus windows have been duplicated and replaced, and rubble and refuse cleared. "This office building was their crown jewel," says Dick. "We want to celebrate the Westinghouse heritage and bring it back." |
Reminds me of the royal connaught, pre-restoration - I love the fact these buildings weren't torn down in the 80s.. just left to rot to be restored by us in the 2010s - let the mass restoration of hamilton plow full steam ahead! :)
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