Harry Stinson on downtown Hamilton

[SteelTown]

So far from the interview.....

independent chain
restore ballroom
upscale rooms, max $200-250 a night
architect is the same as 1 King West
Mixed use building with hotel and condo

After the break they'll be talking about the separate condo building.

[Goldfinger]

Originally Posted by realcity

Welcome Board RePinion.... good handle.... With posts like this, I have a feeling you'll be very popular here.

What you mean to say is that his political opinions are in line with yours.

[SteelTown]

closing middle of the year
moment they close the deal, construction start
18 months stage of construction
Old building first
Second stage new condo tower
Full hotel service
149,000 to 299,000 for units
townhouses on the roof of the expanded hotel

Commercial, intern plaza corner of Main and Catherine

Wants to go higher than approved 80 meters, discuss with the city
Will apply for residential loan

Currently working on renderings

[LikeHamilton]

Hi lights!

First floor bar, commercial, big entrance. 2nd floor ballroom and meeting rooms. 4 floors of suite hotel. Rest Condos in a hotel style.
Closing deal mid year. He has put down a deposit. Not asking the city for any money other than want is available to everyone building or renovating in the core. He wants it to go on it’s own merits.
Filling in the rest of the block. Ground floor commercial with a 24 hr grocery store at Main and Catherine Street.
Will build a residential tower that will be a “””Wow Building””” (Quote from Harry).
He wants to talk to the city to get the zoning change to build a taller building than it is zoned for.

Architect is Stanford Downey

http://www.stanforddowney.ca/

[realcity]

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

What you mean to say is that his political opinions are in line with yours.

with mine and with most of the people here who want good things for Hamilton and support good sustainable neighbourhoods and developments everywhere.

[SteelTown]

Condo king buys Royal Connaught for $9.5M

February 28, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

One-time Toronto condo king Harry Stinson is buying the Royal Connaught for $9.5 million and plans a boutique hotel and 200-condominioum complex.

Stinson has signed an agreement to purchase the hotel from a local investment group that includes the Labourers International Union of North America.

A team of local and Toronto architects is working on plans for the project.
Watch thespec.com for further details.

[highwater]

But, but...he said that he hadn't had any trouble dealing with the city bureaucracy! That he wasn't looking for a handout, that his proposal had to stand on its own two feet! Merciful heavens where are my smelling salts?

[beanmedic]

Originally Posted by realcity
Welcome Board RePinion.... good handle.... With posts like this, I have a feeling you'll be very popular here.

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

What you mean to say is that his political opinions are in line with yours.

With posts like that, you won't be.



But how about that Harry Stinson?!!!!

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by RePinion

Thanks for the kind welcome ...

Land speculator truly is a better term for them. Most of them would probably rather just sell the land when the market goes up and make an effortless profit than go through all the trouble of developing and marketing and, god forbid, actually taking a risk with their capital investments. Hamilton must be home to the most selfish, feckless and cowardly real estate investor/developers in the province. Usually developers, even faceless corporate ones, take at least some pride in making a valuable contribution to their city (it's good for marketing in the long run, after all). Not so here ...

The major land holders in this city are, in my opinion, at least as responsible for the sorry state of the downtown as the inept bureaucrats and planners we've suffered over the decades. Time for new blood!

I only hope that Harry's up for the job. He's certainly getting a lot more credence in Hamilton than he ever did in Toronto, but the excitement is understandable.

Wow...one of the best posts I've ever read on this website. You're obviously very familiar with the Hamilton development industry. You pretty much just nailed it. I hope Harry pulls this off and we can finally rid this forum (and hopefully our city) of all these hacks that like to pretend they are the 'business elite' in town. He's about to kill their business model of looking to steal public money everytime they want to build some lame, crappy building. If he succeeds, we'll never have to listen to these whiny idiots complain about banks, downtown renewal, crime, tax rates etc.....
Welcome aboard RePinion.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

closing middle of the year
moment they close the deal, construction start
18 months stage of construction
Old building first
Second stage new condo tower
Full hotel service
149,000 to 299,000 for units
townhouses on the roof of the expanded hotel

Commercial, intern plaza corner of Main and Catherine

Wants to go higher than approved 80 meters, discuss with the city
Will apply for residential loan

Currently working on renderings

What does "roof of the expanded hotel" mean?? Is he turning some of the hotel into condos? What about the office building next door to the Connaught?

[SteelTown]

^ That part I found odd but he mentioned creating townhouse type of development on the roof all along John Street. Yes, the Connaught building itself will be mixed used with hotel rooms and condo rooms. Think he mentioned the first two floors will be renovated along with the ballroom then hotel rooms and the rest condos.

I was typing that down basically highlighting what he said well listening to the interview.

You can go to CHML and listen to it again, they saved it.

[raisethehammer]

I own a Mac computer. Nothing on CHML works.

So, what will he do with the old office building - mixed use as well? hotel/condos?

[go_leafs_go02]

this has me excited!!!! I peaked into that building a few weeks ago through the front window, and seen the potential inside!!!! It's the one on King and John (southeast corner, correct)?

Let it be done!!! a nice glassy modern era skyscraper would be awesome for this city!!

Start somewhere, and it will spread, I believe that how Chicago did things in some neighbourhoods, over a period of years, new fresh development spread out, block by block, people would buy places on the fringes cheap, renovate them, and sell them at a much higher price as the neighbourhood developed around it.

Good to hear

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

I own a Mac computer. Nothing on CHML works.

So, what will he do with the old office building - mixed use as well? hotel/condos?

I use a Mac too but Safari won't work so I use Netscape instead. I'm not sure about the other question but it did sound like Harry was excited to present the renderings as he said hopefully the next time he's with Bill Kelly he'll have drawings with him.

I'm really pumped about the commercial part myself.

[RePinion]

I've had the chance to listen to the interview now and I'm even more excited than before.

Kelly offered a tone of healthy skepticism (we have been wounded so many times before!) but Stinson's responses were informed and assured. Hearing him put many of my apprehensions to rest, although I'm still not quite ready to put blind faith in the ability of this project to succeed.

That ambition is definitely impressive. Is Stinson really talking about expanding the Connaught at full height along the rest of the block (as part of the first phase)? Somehow I expect this aspect might not make it into the final stages. But a trimming down of the original vision is only to be expected.

I'm also slightly concerned about the commercial development. A 24 hour grocery store is sorely needed in the core, but another "galleria" is not. I noticed Stinson was quite careful to avoid use of the word "mall" but it sounds like he's describing something similar to the Terminal Towers retail development which has been a failure for years and is right next door. I hope he has something a little more creative in mind than just a sheltered concourse.

Aside from that, I think he and his partners are wise to focus on the Connaught as a premier conference and leisure facility. The hotel as I remember it (the last time I was in it I must have been about 9 or 10) always had great public spaces. The ballrooms were impressive, quite unlike any other spaces in Hamilton, and the lobby had a wonderful bustling feel and great light provided by the Palladianesque windows on King (too bad it was marred by all that ugly 80s glass and brass bric-a-brac). The best thing about the Connaught, though, unlike a lot of former grand-dames, is that it hasn't been disfigured too badly. Stinson should be able to restore and update it into an authentically glamorous space. He has a genuine knack for the restoration of historical spaces, as witnessed by the Dominion Club and grand banking hall at 1KW (which I've had the pleasure to visit a couple of times). I think we can expect, at long last, something tasteful and of enduring value. Such a departure from the clap-trap garbage and outdated design hawked by our local slimebag developers.

I very much look forward to having a drink after work in the restored "wood and leather" lobby bar. I hate to sound like a snob, but the downtown has been sorely lacking in a social space for business and professional types for years. Stinson was right to point out that there are still a lot of white collar legal and financial services workers in the core (more of us than you might expect if you don't hang out downtown during the business day) but we haven't been serviced in terms of bars/restaurants/lounges for years. Who wants to go Slainte or Hess wearing a suit? It's no fun. Kudos to Stinson!

[fastcarsfreedom]

RePinion--Windows on King in the Sheraton is a nice classy spot in the interm--gets forgotten a bit up there on the mezzanine.

The lobby and public areas of the Connaught were/are beautiful. Had a drink in that very lobby bar space right before my high school prom which was upstairs in the main ballroom. Also remember going to the old Tiger Cat Club meetings with my dad when they were held up in the ballroom.

[DC83]

^^ I think Stinson is right on the ball about the lack of anywhere for white collar workers downtown to relax in. The London Tap House people noticed this as well in their demographic research and even decided to build an entire lounge dedicated only to lawyers & co.

I know an 'upscale' lounge for business people at the Connaught will be a success. I remember the lobby always being busy even up til the time of it's closing. Hopefully Stinson can get The Keg back in there. Even if it's not 24HR, it'll still do well.

[raisethehammer]

I'm interested to see the local response to this.
I guaruntee some councillors will spout off with the usual "its too tall" "its too this" "its too that" nonsense. Why?? Is Hamilton never allowed to toot it's own horn? Can't we be a little flashy and proud in our city sometimes?
Geez, we used to have a rotating floodlight on the top of Pigott that could be seen in Toronto. We need a bit of that swagger back in our step. We've been hammered for too long - economy, TO media, government and worst of all - our own citizens.
Let's hope the mayor and downtown councillors welcome this guy with open arms. Finally someone willing to make a huge statement in this city and about this city without begging for public money like the crooks who owned it before him.
The Spec will be interesting to watch too. In the past they would have certainly come down and been negative. Remember the great HSR plan for contra-flow buses on Main Street? The spec got the public lathered into a frenzy over that with their brain-dead fearmongering.
They've slowly been changing in recent years though. They recently supported LRT and have been positive about Stinson.
I'll watch with much anticipation at their response to this.

[DC83]

^^ At least The Spec is reporting it!

After hearing about the interview on CHCH News at Noon, I (stupidly) spent a whole hour watching CHCH Action News at 6 and was, as per usual, dissapointed as they did not re-air the interview or even mention the story at all. Infact they were too busy bashing the Ontario Liberal Gov't and it's innovative use of YouTube.com to make time to report a true LOCAL story.

*sigh*

I'm sure Toronto media will have more coverage on this than CHCH.

I DID, however, listen to the AM 900 CHML/Bill Kelly interview. For those of you that missed it, you can listen to the whole thing here:
http://900chml.com/station/feature_interviews.cfm?rem=100053&jor=100053
(with exception to you, rth haha sorry buddy)

[raisethehammer]

Action News??? Is that what they're calling it now?
oh brother....