Hamilton's architecture: Lost and forgotten.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^You've gotta find a balance somewhere between suicide and apathy.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Another beauty. Can you identify the buildings and roads featured in this photo?


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[thistleclub]

The Mountain View Hotel, formerly at the top of the Claremont Access. Upper James is the left hand turn, West 5th (or would that have been an unredacted Claremont Drive?) straight ahead. Now Southam Park. Brian Henley writes: "The street heading west was Claremont, while the roadway seen at the bottom is the top of Strongman’s Road, turning to the left into what is now Upper James Street."

Originally part of Hon. Isaac Buchanan's expansive Claremont estate, which gave the roads their name. The western approach was marked by Claremont Lodge, the northern edge by Auchmar at West 5th and Fennell.

Haunted Hamilton suggests that the Cafe Palazzo building about 1/2km east of Auchmar was also once part of the Clairmont holding.

The building at right is apparently a station of the Hamilton and Barton Incline Railway, the city's first incline railway.

[palace1]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Haunted Hamilton suggests that the Cafe Palazzo building about 1/2km east of Auchmar was also once part of the Clairmont holding.

Haunted Hamilton is incorrect when they state the Café Palazzo building was "originally one of the buildings of the Auchmar estate."

The building was built by Barton Township to house the Township Hall on the second floor with two storefronts on the first floor.
The book "Mountain Memories" has a photo from 1915 showing it housing the Giles Grocery Store (the family lived in one storefront and operated the store from the other). The book says "There is no date for its construction but it is likely to have been a year or two before these photos were taken."

From 1919-1986 it housed the Buchanan Lodge of Freemasonry (they purchased it from Barton Township in 1929).
http://www.hamiltondistrictcmasons.o...php?lodge_id=8

[mattgrande]

Well that's clearly an incline rail station on the right. There appears to be a road heading down the escarpment, so I'm going to say that's Upper James Street, and the road on the right is the precursor to the Claremont Access.

The building on the left I've seen before... A picture from the front, looking up... I think it was a hotel, although the name esacpes me.

[bigguy1231]

I remember going up that road as a young child and it wasn't any steeper than the current James St. access.

When they built the current Clairmont access and Jolly cut they cut out a huge chunk of the escarpment which makes visualizing what was there difficult. The old road towards Upper James didn't begin until almost halfway up the current Jolley cut where the old toll house still stands just before the bridge over the Clairmont. Thats the last house on the left heading upbound.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Thanks for that. Yeah, it's shocking how much of the escarpment's been chipped away at over the decades and that's part of what makes visualizing the course of Strongman's Road so difficult. I do think the first incarnation extended from John and that they later re-routed it to link up with the Jolley Cut but I'll have to confirm that with an expert.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

^Thanks for that. Yeah, it's shocking how much of the escarpment's been chipped away at over the decades and that's part of what makes visualizing the course of Strongman's Road so difficult. I do think the first incarnation extended from John and that they later re-routed it to link up with the Jolley Cut but I'll have to confirm that with an expert.

From what I remember about my Hamilton history that road never went directly down to John St. It turned back to John just like in the picture. From the historical maps that I have been looking at as early as 1875 the road always showed a cut back along Arkledun. It was a toll road at one time and the toll house is still there.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

This must be the toll house then, yeah? Cool.

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[Dr Awesomesauce]

One last reference to Strongman Road. You can see it here in the foreground ca. 1859.

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[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

This must be the toll house then, yeah? Cool.

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No, it's the older stone building across the street.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

I do think the first incarnation extended from John and that they later re-routed it to link up with the Jolley Cut but I'll have to confirm that with an expert.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could find some old maps at Lloyd Reeds
http://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/

(great thread topic, by the way )

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Yeah, Mac has a tonne don't they. But I'm not sure any of them are digitised and if they are, it's probably a pain getting your hands on them. Even a million years after leaving university, I don't think navigating the library has got any easier. I've got a headache just thinking about it. I prefer the Central Library - much easier access.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

From right to left:
i) George Hamilton's residence
ii) Church of the Ascension
iii) Central School
iv) Sandyford Place
v) Crystal Palace (Victoria Park)

I wonder if Mr Hamilton liked having traffic - not whizzing - but rattling and clip-clopping its way past his home morning, noon and night. Perhaps he was an early proponent of traffic calming measures and complete streets. We'll never know. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was long dead by 1859 but his relations may have taken issue with it.

[SteelTown]

A panorama of Hamilton's "centennial" of 1913. (Courtesy of The Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society)
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/talk/stor...entennial.html

[msakalau]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

A panorama of Hamilton's "centennial" of 1913. (Courtesy of The Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society)
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/talk/stor...entennial.html

zoom a hundred years into the future today, and that intersection is quite unrecognizable!

[Dr Awesomesauce]

It's such a sad intersection now.

[thmx]

Originally Posted by msakalau

zoom a hundred years into the future today, and that intersection is quite unrecognizable!

I made this then & now photo for Vintage Hamilton the other day...

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[Dr Awesomesauce]

The horror. The horror...

[Pearlstreet]

Nice work! Thanks for your effort!

All the people! No street cars, no advertisements... Seems like a regression

I think it would be great (and realistic) to get all the store front awnings back. Looks a bit euro and less sterile.