Downtown Update

[johnnyhamont]

I'm curious if we can measure how well Hamilton's shifting towards moving "up not out". Here's what I'm counting currently under construction downtown

Cobalt - 529
154 Main West - 200
Platinum - 186
22 George - 230
Pier 8 - 1500
500 James - 45
Jamesville Lofts - 40

That's a total of 2730 units (2892 incl Vista), not incl whatever Main+Queen by Vrancor ends up being; probably the highest number since at least the '70s. Is there publicly posted data broken down by ward of units either completed construction, beginning construction or issued Building Permit for each year, or the most recent year or anything?

[Innsertnamehere]

Pier 8 isn’t really under construction - just the roads and public realm. The buildings themselves yet haven’t even filed for site plan approval. I would probably remove it from the list but add the main and queen Vrancor project and Vista.

There are a few other Indwell projects in the east end as well.

If you want to push into lower Stoney Creek there are a few condos going up there too, but that’s more suburban. Still below the mountain and in areas that haven’t seen a lot of growth in decades though.

[Markus83]

Hey Guys & Gals!
At the corner of Bay St S and King St W this morning, where the presumable McMaster Residence will rise; workers had marked out 3 X's on the lot ground in different areas for what looked like soil sample testing. One spot was already underway with two others to be done, also marked with X's and pilons surrounding them to prevent cars from parking. Sorry no pics, but news hopeful none the less, I hope.

[Chronamut]

so the property across from 900 chml has been all fenced off and is pending demolition - the 2 silver buildings - any idea what is going here? 940 hamilton regional rd 8 area

[Hawrylyshyn]

CIC Residence that's the location of this development

[SteelTown]

PHOTOS: Step inside the old Coppley building on Hughson Street

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-re...-coppley-building-on-hughson-street.html

The building formerly occupied by Coppley Menswear, on Hughson Street near Cannon Street, is undergoing extensive renovations after the firm moved to a newer building on MacNab Street North earlier this year.

The century-old, five-storey, 60,000 square-foot brick and beam building is being converted as a new creative class in downtown Hamilton, called Style Park.

Work is expected to be completed in 2021 and could feature a restaurant and café as well as three floors of commercial space.

[woreg75]

I used to work at Coppley's back in the 90's, and this building was for fabric storage and the cutting floor. From here, all pieces were sent to York street to be assembled.
Was a great experience to work throughout this company, very fast paced.

It was the Firth Brothers that occupied Hughson Street warehouse first.

This warehouse is connected to a store front on James Street S. It's where we stored the lining in large rolls used for pockets, and various other pieces that went into suit building. Many liners in a quality suit.

I always thought it was a real shame that the store front was papered up with a tiny hole looking out onto James. I wonder if today it's been separated, or passed along with the deal?
If kept, it will have a James Street Access then.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by woreg75

I used to work at Coppley's back in the 90's, and this building was for fabric storage and the cutting floor. From here, all pieces were sent to York street to be assembled.
Was a great experience to work throughout this company, very fast paced.

It was the Firth Brothers that occupied Hughson Street warehouse first.

This warehouse is connected to a store front on James Street S. It's where we stored the lining in large rolls used for pockets, and various other pieces that went into suit building. Many liners in a quality suit.

I always thought it was a real shame that the store front was papered up with a tiny hole looking out onto James. I wonder if today it's been separated, or passed along with the deal?
If kept, it will have a James Street Access then.

^Can't imagine which store front that would be...

[palace1]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

^Can't imagine which store front that would be...

The connection was at 144 James St. N., currently Handknit Yarn Studio.

The online city development map show a severance being approved Mar. 25, 2008.

The earliest Google streetview is in 2007 and shows the upper floor windows covered over.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/144+Jam...676cf6c20!8m2!3d43.2604005!4d-79.8672819

[atnor]

Originally Posted by palace1

The connection was at 144 James St. N., currently Handknit Yarn Studio.

The online city development map show a severance being approved Mar. 25, 2008.

The earliest Google streetview is in 2007 and shows the upper floor windows covered over.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/144+Jam...676cf6c20!8m2!3d43.2604005!4d-79.8672819

What a difference 12 years makes.

[woreg75]

Hey! thanks for the update..

Back then, I would sit and chat with the receiving crew over lunch as the old store front was the only cool place to sit down and eat on those hot summer days.
I used to work in the next room keeping track of all items for the Armani line when we had the contract for Saks 5th Avenue and Macy's.

Bill Cosby (not that he's of importance now) would order 6 suits at a time all with bright colours, all at over 13,000 USD a suit, made to measure.
If they were famous, they most likely had a suit made downtown Hamilton. The only person that would order more than him was a prince who would order suits for every day of the month. I cannot even say how much those suits went for, as the price could feed a family for years.
No, not a price from England. It was a very oil rich country.

All the factory areas were not air conditioned, neither was that store but it stayed cooler.
Sometimes at lunch, we would go down a couple of stores south to an old deli which made sandwiches on large buns. I think that's all they did in there to be honest, it was as empty as the Pipe Shop in the end. It had a fridge and a counter with bags of buns.

Back then, the Tivoli still had it's façade and was being used by a church group, with lots of filming being done. I accidently interrupted the filming of Rated X with Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez when it was being shot in the late 90s.
Not long after, the old tenement building across the street burned down.
James street really seemed hopeless then. Really happy to see the way it's turning out.
Thanks again for your update.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

Does anybody know any more info about the exterior renovation at Olympia tower ? It seems that they are freshening things up a bit ������������

[Innsertnamehere]

The largest building permit issued in July was apparently a $5.6 million permit for 100 King Street West (Stelco Tower). Anyone know what that's for? That would be either a pretty large and extensive tenant renovation or some sort of building upgrade?

[StEC]

Originally Posted by HamiltonBoyInToronto

Does anybody know any more info about the exterior renovation at Olympia tower ? It seems that they are freshening things up a bit ������������

Yes I live here and my apartment section from top to bottom was the first to be completed. It's nothing too special. Just all new caulking around every window and seem on the building to make it air tight. The caulking is black by the way. Then they are painting the exterior what I call a very dark steel blue (no idea what the colour actually would be called). And for the first time ever they painted inside the balcony cutouts. They are also replacing the exhaust vents for every units. Before they were just plain old concrete. Now they are painted an egg shell white all sides, top & bottom. Definitely looks a bit more modern. But still the same old crappy windows from the 70's that seriously need replacing!

My section (the first section remember) was started back just before the pandemic took a hold here. We were told it would only take 3 weeks and we would have our balcony back. We literally just got our balcony back this weekend... 5+ months later! I was not too pleased...

[BaconPoutine]

Originally Posted by woreg75

Hey! thanks for the update..

Back then, I would sit and chat with the receiving crew over lunch as the old store front was the only cool place to sit down and eat on those hot summer days.
I used to work in the next room keeping track of all items for the Armani line when we had the contract for Saks 5th Avenue and Macy's.

Bill Cosby (not that he's of importance now) would order 6 suits at a time all with bright colours, all at over 13,000 USD a suit, made to measure.
If they were famous, they most likely had a suit made downtown Hamilton. The only person that would order more than him was a prince who would order suits for every day of the month. I cannot even say how much those suits went for, as the price could feed a family for years.
No, not a price from England. It was a very oil rich country.

All the factory areas were not air conditioned, neither was that store but it stayed cooler.
Sometimes at lunch, we would go down a couple of stores south to an old deli which made sandwiches on large buns. I think that's all they did in there to be honest, it was as empty as the Pipe Shop in the end. It had a fridge and a counter with bags of buns.

Back then, the Tivoli still had it's façade and was being used by a church group, with lots of filming being done. I accidently interrupted the filming of Rated X with Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez when it was being shot in the late 90s.
Not long after, the old tenement building across the street burned down.
James street really seemed hopeless then. Really happy to see the way it's turning out.
Thanks again for your update.

Thanks for sharing, this is a fun bit of history.

[lachlanholmes]

Some updates on smaller projects.

Building at northwest corner of James South and Bold Street is getting some renovations:







The Pasadena Apartments appear done and the restoration turned out great:







The Villa Marie complex at John and Forest, which changed hands from Continuum REIT to Starlight Investments at the start of the year is getting exterior work completed. Balcony concrete repairs, painting over the brick, and I'm waiting to see if they're going to put on new balcony guards. Would be nice to get the dark black glass ones, and with the white and grey paint colours they've chosen, it looks like it would fit better than the previous gold-ish balcony guards:

[TheRitsman]

Oh... Stucco.... Okay

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Nice update. I prefer the smaller projects to be honest...

[ScreamingViking]

I've seen a number of buildings getting exterior work done lately around the city. All these 1960s-70s era apartment buildings are getting to that age of needing extensive renos/maintenance (and some are well past it)

[Chronamut]

lol the first one makes me laugh - it's like looking at the exterior and going "yeahhh we're not gonna scrape all that off, we're just going to panel over it.."