18-30 King St East | 106.9m | 32 fl | Proposed

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

I'm sure they won't, but I want to see if they RT with any sort of flim-flammery reply!

Doubt they'll acknowledge anything at all regarding this issue. The safest move in politics.

Farr's motion won't carry much meaning either, when there are fewer and fewer of these structures about.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

'This morning I had another talk with Hamilton speculator, Herr Blanchard, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you...'

Poor Neville.

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Farr's Motion - Gore District Future Development – Heritage Buildings

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...velopment_.pdf

Gore buildings get longer reprieve in the future

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...-district.html

The city is adding three Gore district properties to a registry that would buy a little more time should anyone ever apply to demolish them.

All of the properties in the district that are listed in the city's heritage inventory, minus 24 and 28 King St. E., will be added to the downtown heritage register. That means should anyone apply to demolish them, there will be a wait time of 60 days after a permit is issued for council and the public to bring forward concerns. Currently, it's only 20 days.

“The net impact is another 40 days for us to have the opportunity to bring something forward if it's serious enough,” said Tim McCabe, general manager of economic development.

The city issued a demolition permit to developer Wilson Blanchard for 24 and 28 King St. E. earlier this year to build a new development there, which sparked some outcry. That inspired Coun. Jason Farr of Ward 2 downtown to introduce the motion at the general issues committee on Monday.

The move bridges the gap between the properties being provincially designated — which would mean no demolition at all — and the usual 20-day period for other city properties, Farr said.

“It would allow for the kind of consultation that was obviously seen, albeit in the final hour here” on the Blanchard development, Farr said.

There is still opposition to the demolition of 24 and 28 King St. E., which were built in the 1870s. But Farr said he has faith in what will replace it.

“This is difficult nonetheless,” he said. “I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's a tough decision. But I've said many times that bringing more people to the core is going to help us in the end.”

[mattgrande]

Gore demolition on hold for now, Farr says

Farr says he met with developer David Blanchard and his representatives this afternoon. He requested that the demolition be stopped until a solution can be found to maintain the architectural and heritage character of the Gore properties, Farr said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...velopment.html

[pigottsun]

Before anyone repeats the common misperception that David Blanchard deserves credit for the present fine state of the Pigott Building ...

Contrary to a number of inaccurate reports in the past by the local media, Mr. Blanchard is not, in fact, responsible for the preservation of the Pigott Building. The truth is that he had nothing to do with either the original restoration of the building or its subsequent condo redevelopment in the mid-90s, both of which were conducted by Toronto firms.

His only connection to the Pigott/Sunlife complex --- and it's a fairly recent one --- is that his company, Wilson Blanchard, took over the management of the building a few years ago. It currently owns the main floor commercial area and has made some improvements to the interior office space for clients it leases space to.

Last year, an extensive exterior facelift of the Pigott Building was undertaken, and it was completely financed by the condo owners through a special assessment. Again, David Blanchard made no financial contribution to this recent preservation project.

[thmx]

Originally Posted by mattgrande

Gore demolition on hold for now, Farr says



http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...velopment.html

Great news

[SteelTown]

The demo is about to begin within minutes. The facade to remain apparently.

[SteelTown]

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...emolition.html

[NortheastWind]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

The demo is about to begin within minutes. The facade to remain apparently.

Until there's an OOPS and it all comes tumbling down

[Dr Awesomesauce]

The article's a little confusing re the facades.

But Bartels says the front of the buildings will be being removed by hand to preserve the bricks, which will be used to rebuild the facades. He says that's because the old foundation is "crumbling and deteriorating," so the facades will be built on a new foundation.
source

'...will be being...' Hmmmmm.

[SteelTown]

• Video Link

[fuller]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

The article's a little confusing re the facades.

But Bartels says the front of the buildings will be being removed by hand to preserve the bricks, which will be used to rebuild the facades. He says that's because the old foundation is "crumbling and deteriorating," so the facades will be built on a new foundation.
source

'...will be being...' Hmmmmm.

That does make it sound like the plan is to take down the entire row, facades and all.

All the facadism projects I've ever seem begin with the installation of a structural steel framework on the street side of the facade. Anything less and the masonry facade is almost certain to collapse, dangerously, when the supporting structure to the rear is removed, no matter how delicately it's done.

Guessing Monday's headline, you might expect to hear how they were INVESTING in the historical facade by planning to remove it brick by brick by hand at great additional cost and delay to the owners.

But then this big storm came up unexpectedly, and what with the high winds and all it had to be pushed down immediately, in order to protect the public.

Unfortunately, this *necessary action* resulted in extensive damage to the historic masonry that precludes its use in the (one day to be) planned development.

'It is simply not economically or technically feasible to proceed with negotiated plans for preservation in light of this unexpected development' could be a good quote for the story. Who could have predicted this unplanned turn of events, after all? (Then, in the comments, some wag will probably say ''I dunno, a structural engineer?")

[pigottsun]

Mr. Blanchard is having quite a week. He's also adding nine windows to the north side of the Pigott Building, but didn't bother telling the condo corporation --- which owns the building!!!

[SteelTown]

Demolition on Gore Park buildings halted: Farr

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...emolition.html

Demolition of two historic buildings lining Gore Park has been abruptly called off after a meeting between city officials and the developer that owns the buildings.

Crews had moved heavy demolition equipment on to the site Friday, catching councillors who had been lobbying for a stay of execution by surprise.

However, city officials met with the representatives from Wilson Blanchard, the company that owns the buildings, on Friday afternoon to discuss the issue.

"The development group has agreed to move the bulldozer from the site and not move forward with any exterior demolition," said Jason Farr, councillor for Ward 2.

Wilson Blanchard's move to tear down the building was the result of "a miscommunication" between the the company and city staff.

[durandy]

quite a chess game going on in the Gore. Fuller's version, while it sounds good, just seems too elaborate - if Blanchard wants the buildings gone he could just do it. No one's going to stop him. I think he's just angling for more grant money.

[matt602]

Glad to see but I'm getting sick of this back and forth crap now... something really awkward must be going on behind closed doors here.

[SteelTown]

Gore Park buildings likely to receive heritage status, councillor says
Heritage designation means developer can apply for city's property heritage grants

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...ng-status.html

The historic buildings on the south edge of Gore Park will likely be designated as heritage buildings so that they can qualify for the city's heritage property grants and be restored by their property developer, a local councillor says.

According to Councillor Brian McHattie of Ward 1, "there is a good chance" that city staff will assign the heritage status to all or parts of the five buildings on King Street E. under the Ontario Heritage Act, so that Wilson-Blanchard, the property management company that owns the buildings, can take advantage of the city's heritage property grant program and community heritage fund.

The Hamilton Heritage Property Grant Program supports the restoration of heritage features of properties, while the Hamilton Community Heritage Fund provides up to $50,000 in interest-free loans for similar purposes.

“Over the years it's been difficult to get people to invest in downtown Hamilton,” he said, adding that the grants are a common ground for those who want to see the corner of King Street E. and St. James Street redeveloped and those who would like to preserve the century-old buildings.

“This really is a compromised solution.”

The heritage designations are expected to come “fairly quickly” in the next few months, McHattie said, but there is no word on the specifics of the restoration plan.

The turn of events came a weekend after heavy machinery was moved to the site Friday morning. Demolition planned for Saturday was abruptly called off after a last-minute meeting between councillors, city officials and Wilson Blanchard Friday afternoon. The parties have verbally agreed to halt any demolition to allow a peer review of the developer's engineering report and more time for public input.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

“This really is a compromised solution."

Mis-worded or mis-typed?

[thistleclub]

Hamilton Heritage Property Grant Program
For projects valued at $40,000 or less, the grant will be based on 50% of the total project cost to a maximum grant of $20,000 for eligible work under the program. For projects valued over $40,000, the grant will include $20,000 (i.e. 50% of $40,000), plus an additional grant based on 25% of the total project cost over $40,000, to a maximum additional grant of $130,000. In total, no more than $150,000 will be granted for eligible work under the program.

Hamilton Community Heritage Fund
The Hamilton Community Heritage Fund (HCHF), provides interest-free loans to a maximum of $50,000 for restoration of heritage attributes on properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Five designated properties would appear to give rise to the possibility of $600K in heritage grants and $250K in interest-free loans.

[lucasmascotto]

Gore strip to get heritage designation — but when?
By Molly Hayes
The Hamilton Spectator

Development plans for these buildings on the south side of Gore Park have been met with controversy since they were announced late last year, with efforts by heritage advocates to save the historic stretch.

The developers behind a stretch of Gore Park buildings have begun working with the city's heritage committee as they move forward with their plans for the lot.

With their properties now stripped of the "21st century accoutrements," developer Robert Miles said Wednesday they are determining the specifications they'll need to get heritage grant funding down the road.

"The plan now is likely to take the heritage components from the building and then reinstall them at a later date when we redevelop. If we have to designate those components when we're done, we have no problem with that," Miles said.

Miles said they are willing to have the King Street East buildings designated earlier, prior to removal, but only if the city ensures it will not impede on getting approval for their plans.

Councillor Brian McHattie said while the developers' willingness to have the buildings designated stems from "good old self-interest" (the desire for grant money), he believes the compromise has the potential to be a win-win.

"The when and how are unclear, but their redevelopment will require them accessing some of the city programs that we have," he said.

The Hamilton Heritage Property Grant Program provides businesses with the funding to restore heritage features of properties. Developers can also receive up to $50,000 from the Hamilton Community Heritage Fund, which encourages people to adapt and reuse designated heritage buildings.

McHattie said designation for the buildings (18-28 King St. E) was never formally applied for by the heritage committee.

"The city has never designated these buildings … but the whole area does have integrity as a heritage phenomenon. It should have been designated decades ago and it wasn't," he said.

Development plans for these buildings have been met with controversy since they were announced late last year, with efforts by heritage advocates to save the historic stretch.

After bulldozers were spotted on the lot on Friday, downtown Councillor Jason Farr called an emergency meeting with the developers to halt demolition and seek out a compromise.

After that meeting, all parties agreed the heritage façades of the five buildings would be preserved.

But Farr said the latest meeting did not touch on designation of the properties.

"It's not a conversation I've had with anybody," Farr said.

"In the end? Sure. Maybe when the project is completed, or if they want to work with us and entertain a designation prior to that … but my mandate would be to stick to the current plan."

McHattie acknowledges that many heritage advocates will be nervous about things like the lot sitting empty for years, or the façade replacement not working out.

"The devil's in the details," he said.

"For whatever it's worth, I know that the developers have been in touch with our heritage planner. So that's a step in the right direction."