Downtown Update

[hammerthrow]

never even thought about the stability based off the abutting building. makes sense.

I think when he wanted to demo them, he had claimed they were unstable, right? think he was ready to demo before a weekend, then was told to stop that next monday iirc. guess he should have made it a long work day to save us years of wondering when it would fall!

[Dylbot]

Was the city requiring them to preserve that facade? I don’t understand why municipalities make developers do that when so much of the original masonry requires replacement anyway. Why not allow them to scan it, tear it down, and then rebuild with an accurately recreated facade incorporated into the new build.

[BCTed]

At least no hanging planters fell on anyone's head...

[ScreamingViking]

Nobody should be surprised by this. Blanchard has become what Vranich used to be.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by Dylbot

Was the city requiring them to preserve that facade? I don’t understand why municipalities make developers do that when so much of the original masonry requires replacement anyway. Why not allow them to scan it, tear it down, and then rebuild with an accurately recreated facade incorporated into the new build.

They do both depending on the circumstance - or they require the existing to be rebuilt/repaired like William Thomas building - it's cheaper to keep as much of the original facade as you can, only replacing what you need to as well.

And yes they were required to preserve the facade - in fact it is a mandate for any pre-confederate/heritage protected building for the facade to be preserved iirc. The rest can be demolished, and often needs to be due to building code requirements and/or differences in building materials, such as wood and asbestos that will not hold up to say a skyscraper being built on top of it. There are exceptions - the main building near King and James that was sodablasted and an extra floor added on top did not need to be demolished at all - only extra steel supports added.

It's mainly about preserving the heritage - if its just replaced then it becomes as David used to say "Mickey Mouse fake Disney-like"

but there have been instances where it has been rebuilt, like radio arts (sorta)

but usually it's too costly to replace the stone/concrete composite, and there aren't many masons around who can do it - the one for William Thomas had to be outsourced outside of the city. So $$$ either way - easier to let it collapse then clear it away and build something cheap and crappy, which was their plan all along.

There aren't too many who will do advanced stonecutting - even core urbans cornices are basic compared to the masterpiece craftsmanship that is on say the Royal Connaught or the Right House - because back then it was about the prestige - now its just the aesthetic and that much detail is very costly, as it should be.

[SteelTown]

https://www.instagram.com/stories/coreurbaninc/

[Hawrylyshyn]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

https://www.instagram.com/stories/coreurbaninc/

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Looking forward to it, these buildings could not be put in better hands.

[Chronamut]

It's cool but the modern wood entrance topper looks really weird against the stone on the far right there. You're putting it against an arch - just put a cage with fabric over it like an entrance like that was meant for..

Still, at least they're being preserved, and it'll be nice to see thee cornice put back up on the building on the left..

Also how does that chimney stack work? It's right above a window.. or is it purely decorative?

[SteelTown]

Would you live in a corner office downtown? City of Hamilton funding office-to-home conversions
With vacancies on the rise, the hope is that incentives encourage conversions.

https://www.thespec.com/news/council/dow...c4f3cfb-55b2-554e-bd1a-e7a3e820b639.html

Hamilton aims to get ahead of what city officials expect to be an uptick in downtown office vacancies in coming years through a new incentive pilot.

Council has approved $2.5 million in seed funding to launch the initiative meant to encourage the conversion of office space into residential units.

The pilot, which follows the lead of other cities including Calgary, Ottawa and London, provides grants of up to $20,000 per converted unit.

[Innsertnamehere]

Hamilton actually has quite a few small floorplate office buildings which would be good candidates for conversion too.

Honestly half the problem in Hamilton is that it's major office blocks are largely owned by incompetent landlords who don't know how to market them and maintain them properly.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Honestly half the problem in Hamilton is that it's major office blocks are largely owned by incompetent landlords who don't know how to market them and maintain them properly.

[LikeHamilton]

City of Hamilton surpasses $1 billion in construction value

May 23, 2025 By:Cassie Apperloo CHCH-TV

The City of Hamilton says it has surpassed $1 billion in total construction value for building permits issued this year.

This construction value represents approximately 1,476 building projects within the residential, institutional, commercial and industrial sectors.

According to the city, 1,966 new residential units have been approved this year – putting a significant dent in the ongoing housing supply crisis within the region.

“With a clear focus on strategic development, we’re creating new housing, supporting economic growth, and laying the foundation for a more inclusive, livable city,” Mayor Andrea Horwath said in a statement.

“This progress marks an important step forward in shaping a city where all Hamiltonians can thrive.”

Officials say the value by category includes 67.8 per cent residential, 12.7 per cent industrial/commercial, 2.8 per cent institutional and 16.7 per cent miscellaneous building projects such as fire repair, protective plumbing and sewage system upgrades.

Notable projects contributing to the construction boom include Television City on Jackson Street, a new McMaster University student residence on Main Street West, and the IKEA Warehouse on Glover Road.

https://www.chch.com/chch-news/city-of-hamilton-surpasses-1-billion-in-construction-value/

[ScreamingViking]

It's at the point when we should be celebrating $2 billion. Though the rest of 2025 may be interesting, given the market.

[mikevbar1]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

It's at the point when we should be celebrating $2 billion. Though the rest of 2025 may be interesting, given the market.

Considering we aren't even in June yet, we are indeed on track for $2B.

[Innsertnamehere]

It's interesting to see the resiliency in permitting in Hamilton given the general slowdown in the real estate industry elsewhere in Ontario.

[Crapht]

The solitary building at 98 John street south has been demolished. It might be part of a larger parcel if it includes the parking lot surrounding it and it's right across from the Go Station. Anybody know anything about it?

[Pulkvedis Pods]

I was on vacation for a couple of weeks, and when I drove down Main Street East between Wellington and Victoria, as well as the alleyway between Owl of Minerva and the back side of Mission Services, there was construction activity at 299 Main St. E. Full swing. Previously I had noticed some work being done in the alleyway - utility stuff, but now there is framing and other significant work being done. I add the website of the company that is redevelopming this long time neglected building.
https://adhiba.ca/project-299.html

[Wigs]

Seems like Skyrise Cities forum really helped kill the SSP Hamilton sub

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Seems like Skyrise Cities forum really helped kill the SSP Hamilton sub

Yep. Same "news" too.

It doesn't help that this one seems to have technical issues all the time -- e.g., getting "kicked off" prematurely or needing multiple log-ins (took me 3 tries to get in this time)