Downtown Update - Page 62

realcity · #**1221** Posted **Mar 21, 2011, 3:12 AM**

First Ontario > Avestel Credit Union > Stelco Credit Union.

It's good see them opening in the former Laurentian Bank with a downtown presence. I wonder if their head office will remain at Queensdale and Sherman.... or move into this building.?

realcity · #**1222** Posted **Mar 21, 2011, 3:19 AM**

I noticed some nice new signage on CIBC Towers, .. "Ross & McBride" and "Investors Group"? I think? it was, it looks good at night. I wish more of our towers had signs on them.... and that there was more lighting on the buildings' floors and street level, Hamilton has to be the darkest city at night in Canada.

At least Yale could turn on the lights on the top floor of Stelco or put Royal Bank or something at the top.... lighting goes a long way in feeling safe.

flar · #**1223** Posted **Mar 21, 2011, 5:07 PM**

Not just signs, put some lights on the buildings themselves.

When I was in Winnipeg a couple weeks ago, I noticed two of the buildings right at Portage and Main had decorative lighting. The MTS building has sleek blue lines of lighting on the walls and the building across the road has a bunch of vertical lights around the third floor that continually change colour. You really get the feeling of entering a big city driving down Portage at night.

urban_planner · #**1224** Posted **Mar 21, 2011, 5:54 PM**

I think the buildings that could really work with lights are the piggot with floods at the top. Stelco Towner if you highlighter the headdress with lights. And 25 main w if they lined the seciond facing east and the the top with lights, it that makes sense!

MPK · #**1225** Posted **Mar 21, 2011, 9:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

Not just signs, put some lights on the buildings themselves.

I couldn't agree more, and it's such a simple way to create some visual interest in a city's skyline. I think Buffalo provides a fairly decent local example of what's possible; it's a pretty attractive skyline at night for a downtown core of its size. Sadly, I even get excited when Landmark Place (Century 21) strings its sparse Christmas display upon its roof during the holidays. In my opinion, attention paid to such details, no matter how small, contribute to any city's uniqueness, character, identity, and pride.

matt602 · #**1226** Posted **Apr 24, 2011, 1:04 AM**

Sushi Star on King at Catharine across from the "Crowne Plaza" got an exterior facelift. Very modern, upper class looking job. Definitely different to see on that part of King. They are also expanding into the currently empty store front to the East.

realcity · #**1227** Posted **Apr 24, 2011, 7:05 AM**

I noticed a hoarding wall on the south side of Gore Park. any know anything?

realcity · #**1228** Posted **Apr 24, 2011, 7:09 AM**

and a 'grand opening' in Jackson Square near the food court. But no name of the store?

matt602 · #**1229** Posted **Apr 25, 2011, 6:41 PM**

It's just that "Dress for Less" store re-locating.

realcity · #**1230** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 2:01 AM**

ok. i heard that Caesars (gore hoarding wall) is being torn down. and no plans for replacing the building for another 5-7 years. So-called business plan is for a 30+ story tower behind those King buildings

realcity · #**1231** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 2:07 AM**

Yale seems to like a constant relocation of stores it seems. I don't know where Dress for Less was before. ?

I was talking with someone and trying to name the stores that've been there the longest, maybe not original but since as long as I can remember.
1. Wally Parrs
2. Roots
3. Toby's
4. Grand & Toy
5. PharmaPlus

Maybe they're not originals but that's some long-term stores. Sadly LimeRidge lost it's last original "The Pet Store". A total landmark must-visit when I was a 80s-90s mallrat. I guess Sears is an original.

matt602 · #**1232** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 2:37 AM**

Dress for Less used to be in the hallway between Honest Lawyer and the Food Court/Dollarama. They are re-locating to a space beside Wally Parr where Coles was while their store was being renovated. I think Yale is shifting stores around so that new ones can take the bigger spaces (or at least I hope). Cotton Ginny and Yves Rocher also left a few months ago, the former leaving after a flooding incident. I suppose they just chose not to fix it up and cut their loses instead. Not sure why Yves left, possibly because of lack of customers. They had only been there for a year or two. To name other originals, how about Denningers? It looks pretty old to me. The LCBO? Some of the banks? The movie theater is also an original, even though it switched brands a few years ago.

Jackson Square is an odd creature. Some store flourish whilst others languish and die, although on the whole I think the mall has been on an upswing in the last couple of years. There's been some major renovations and expansions including Country Style, Laura Secord, Coles, Deco's Deli. All 4 of those seem to have been doing very good business since the renovations.

drpgq · #**1233** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 4:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt602

Dress for Less used to be in the hallway between Honest Lawyer and the Food Court/Dollarama. They are re-locating to a space beside Wally Parr where Coles was while their store was being renovated. I think Yale is shifting stores around so that new ones can take the bigger spaces (or at least I hope). Cotton Ginny and Yves Rocher also left a few months ago, the former leaving after a flooding incident. I suppose they just chose not to fix it up and cut their loses instead. Not sure why Yves left, possibly because of lack of customers. They had only been there for a year or two. To name other originals, how about Denningers? It looks pretty old to me. The LCBO? Some of the banks? The movie theater is also an original, even though it switched brands a few years ago.

Jackson Square is an odd creature. Some store flourish whilst others languish and die, although on the whole I think the mall has been on an upswing in the last couple of years. There's been some major renovations and expansions including Country Style, Laura Secord, Coles, Deco's Deli. All 4 of those seem to have been doing very good business since the renovations.

The LCBO was originally in the Swiss Chalet strip mall near Jackson wasn't it?

ihateittoo · #**1234** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 11:07 PM**

Heard a rumour that a Smoke's Poutinerie was coming to Hamilton.
I did a quick search and found this:
http://poifriend.com/poi_comments.php?poi_id=4751039

If this is correct then it looks like it's going to be in Hess - I am glad it's downtown (since the rumour I heard was just tha it was coming to Hamilton in general) - maybe I'd prefer a different location since this one will be overrun with hessites but I can't complain too much.

I've never actually eaten here - but it's an up and coming franchiser so it's nice to see it coming to Hamilton.

Anyone tried this place?

durandy · #**1235** Posted **Apr 26, 2011, 11:19 PM**

yeah I tried the one at Queen and Bathurst once. Not exciting. Actually what this will do is result in poutine containers at various levels of completion strewn by drunks on their way home, I'm sure a few will end up in my hedge. The seagulls will be happy.

mattgrande · #**1236** Posted **Apr 27, 2011, 1:23 PM**

If you go to Smoke's website (http://smokespoutinerie.com/main.html), it shows the Hamilton location being on George St, between Queen & Hess.

I ate there once, at their Queen West location. I had the double pork poutine, and it was fantastic.

thistleclub · #**1237** Posted **Apr 27, 2011, 3:19 PM**

Stumbled on something during some web spelunking, made me think of a mid-January story in the Spec which noted that research conducted by Hamilton’s Centre for Community Study revealed that “The city's core is adding jobs and residents — a total of 2,700 since 2001.” A July 2005 CCS white paper, How Hamilton Works [PDF], noted that “Of the top nine CMAs in Canada, only Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Quebec City saw city centre jobs decline. In Hamilton’s case, this can be explained by a decrease in manufacturing jobs in the city centre, a trend virtually all CMAs experienced 1996 and 2001.” Hamilton lost 2,300 jobs in the core (within 5km of City Hall) between 1996 and 2001; Toronto added 72,700 in the same period. So between 1996 and 2010, Hamilton's core might have experienced a net increase of 400 jobs (and/or residents).

crhayes · #**1238** Posted **Apr 27, 2011, 4:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattgrande

If you go to Smoke's website (http://smokespoutinerie.com/main.html), it shows the Hamilton location being on George St, between Queen & Hess.

I ate there once, at their Queen West location. I had the double pork poutine, and it was fantastic.

I ate there once too... I can't even remember which poutine I got I just remember it was absolutely massive. It's really good though, they should make a killing in the Hess neighbourhood!

DC1983 · #**1239** Posted **Apr 27, 2011, 4:54 PM**

Will open in July at 112 George St, Hess Village Hamilton.
As per a SP rep, construction should have started by now. They're waiting of Permits from the City (shocker).

...I'm Baaaaaaaaccccckkkkkkk!

emge · #**1240** Posted **Apr 28, 2011, 12:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC1983

Will open in July at 112 George St, Hess Village Hamilton.
As per a SP rep, construction should have started by now. They're waiting of Permits from the City (shocker).

...I'm Baaaaaaaaccccckkkkkkk!

great to see you're back (and the info about the construction too!)

on the topic of poutine, i'm glad to see another poutine place nearby. i have heard Rolly's is doing a pulled pork poutine now but I haven't been there for months. either way, more poutine sounds good to me! i'd love to see a Frite Alors! franchise somewhere too.