Downtown Update

[IronWarrior]

Originally Posted by realcity

Wow. thanks for that. I remember when Club Monaco was where you said Birks was. remember when all four floors of the Eaton Center was full of quality retail. Danier, Collegiate Sports, Harry Rosen and a super cool Eatons, that I still remember Christmas shopping in.

I remember Brook's when it was open, but never dined there. Sadly nothing has replaced it. I look in the window now and then and it still is the same it was. Would be a good 80s movie shoot location.

I remember Sbarro. It was in the section that was closed and then reopened to make room for the temp market. It had a great glass enclosed seating area. and good Italian food. I also remember the interior walkway from JS to Copps, that's a shame that doesn't exist now.

The former BMo concourse is still sadly empty and has to be one of the best pieces of real estate in the city. Sometimes this city is so baffling.

I also remember Pete n Marty's. I think I just turned drinking age and celebrated the last new years eve event there before it closed. Too bad, from I remember that club/bar was a classic 80s movie scene, think of the movie Bright Lights, Big City, Keifer and J. Fox. or Cocktail with Tom Cruise.





Anyway I think JS is climbing back. It is the only regional mall that offers, retail, services, cinemas, sit down restaurants and connected to a hotel, office towers and a coliseum.


Anyone for a memory walk down LimeRidge when it was a good mall? that offered more than as many crammed-in A-chain retailers and not much more. Remember the old LR foodcourt, with the open to above second floor and cinemas and arcade, Dominions with their rollers for your grocery pickup outside for your waiting car. and actual lockers to rent for your winter jackets.... man how LR sucks now.

I loved Sbarro's back in the day! I remember Pete and Martys well!, although I was underage...and when the Goodlife Fitness was Champions, I also remember when JS had carpeting throughout the mall and going into the Den for Men with my dad 'he loved that store' its now Tim Hortons or maybe it was a store down? I never got up to Limeridge much, I was always a downtown kid born and raised, I hung out in the arcades and used to get tons of fortune cookies from the Pagoda at Halloween and Fries from McD's across the street.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

All this reminiscing about Jackson Square is making me a little nauseous…haha. But as I recall, it was a decent mall at one time. Like others, I frequented Sbarro, the IT Store, created havoc in the food court with the other ne’er-do-wells. It’s fallen a long way since then, the whole downtown has.

Along those lines, this news that Caesar’s has been demolished is quite tragic. That whole streetwall is in serious jeopardy given their age and under-use over the years. Losing those buildings would be disastrous. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

[SteelTown]

25 good things
City creates bold plan to build buzz and business

It's a sleek, modern Sheraton hotel greeting visitors to downtown Hamilton.
There has been about $10 million invested in the 18-storey building over the past couple of years, and promises of $5 million more before the final coat of paint.

In advance of the fourth Hamilton Economic Summit coming up Thursday, The Spectator has compiled a list of 25 steps forward in economic progress that have happened in the city over the past few years. We've drawn it from the summit's top 100 stories — View from the Summit 2008-2010.

Sidebar

2. Treble Hall
3. Dominion Furniture
4. One Hunter Street
5. Lister
6. McMaster Innovation Park
7. James Street North Art Crawl
8. Open Streets/Smart Commute
9. Gore Park
10. York Boulevard
11. King Street East
12. City of Waterfalls
13. FilmWorks Lofts
14. Studios at Hotel Hamilton
15. National Academy of Health and Business
16. Attracting top researchers
17. Centre for Surgical Invention and Innovation
18. Mohawk College
19. Redeemer University College
20. Jobs Prosperity Collaborative
21. Brownfield remediation
22. External recognition
23. Canada Bread
24. Pearl Company
25. Transportation

[durandy]

ha ha! Love #21. They neglected to mention any remediated brownfields. Or maybe they just think having the phrase in existence is an accomplishment.

[mattgrande]

Where is Dominion Furniture?

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by realcity

Wow. thanks for that. I remember when Club Monaco was where you said Birks was. remember when all four floors of the Eaton Center was full of quality retail. Danier, Collegiate Sports, Harry Rosen and a super cool Eatons, that I still remember Christmas shopping in.

Isn't the Eaton Centre/City Centre only three floors? I do not think that it has ever been more than one-third to one-half occupied, though it was a much better mall when it opened than it is today.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by mattgrande

Where is Dominion Furniture?

Next door to the north of the Tivoli theatre on James St. N.

http://www.tcarch.ca/PDF/74.pdf

[paleale2]

Its right next door to the Tivoli Theatre on James North......

TC Architects are now on the top floor of the building......great space inside !!!!

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by BCTed

Isn't the Eaton Centre/City Centre only three floors? I do not think that it has ever been more than one-third to one-half occupied, though it was a much better mall when it opened than it is today.

The shopping arcade has three levels, the actual Eatons department store had a fourth level. While the third level of the arcade was never fully occupied, the other two levels were fully occupied when the mall opened.

[SteelTown]

It was announced today that a developer is renovating the Crazy Horse Saloon into office space. Rendering was revealed as well.

[SteelTown]

You can see the rendering here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamilto...57626704242822

[matt602]

Looks kind of bland and uninspired. To be honest, I'd rather they built an entirely new building. Although the existing one is pre-1900 heritage, I'm fairly certain that all it's original exterior fixtures have long since been covered and/or removed. I suppose just having the space occupied would go a long way to improving that stretch of the street though. Would help the case for the Royal Connaught and Stinson's Hamilton Grand as well.

[crhayes]

Originally Posted by matt602

Looks kind of bland and uninspired. To be honest, I'd rather they built an entirely new building. Although the existing one is pre-1900 heritage, I'm fairly certain that all it's original exterior fixtures have long since been covered and/or removed. I suppose just having the space occupied would go a long way to improving that stretch of the street though. Would help the case for the Royal Connaught and Stinson's Hamilton Grand as well.

It's hard to tell what the white material on the right side is, but I think if they did some funky glass there (maybe with coloured panels like Juravinski Hospital) it would look really nice.

[matt602]

Thats the main thing that I noticed which was boring. It really sticks out.

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by matt602

Thats the main thing that I noticed which was boring. It really sticks out.

Agreed. W/ the use of cheap materials (siding). #Lame

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by CaptainKirk

Next door to the north of the Tivoli theatre on James St. N.

When's the Tiv gonna get dealt with?? I can't believe there isn't someone out there willing to drop a few million on it. The new construction doesn't have to be anything amazing or over-the-top; a simple, modern facade would do just fine. Anyway, the recent momentum on James N can't hurt in that regard.

All this other jazz is exciting...and REAL!! Not some lame pipe-dream that we've all bought into, which is the usual scenario. Real companies, in a creative industry, setting up shop downtown. Total sweetness.

[mattgrande]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

When's the Tiv gonna get dealt with?? I can't believe there isn't someone out there willing to drop a few million on it. The new construction doesn't have to be anything amazing or over-the-top; a simple, modern facade would do just fine. Anyway, the recent momentum on James N can't hurt in that regard.

Some ballet group was raising money for the Tivoli, they were calling it "Toonies For Tivoli." At one of the Art Crawls last year they had it open, and there was a samba band playing in there. I hoped that was a sign of progress, but I haven't heard anything since then.

Hmm, now I'm wondering where my donation went...

[durandy]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

When's the Tiv gonna get dealt with?? I can't believe there isn't someone out there willing to drop a few million on it. The new construction doesn't have to be anything amazing or over-the-top; a simple, modern facade would do just fine. Anyway, the recent momentum on James N can't hurt in that regard.

All this other jazz is exciting...and REAL!! Not some lame pipe-dream that we've all bought into, which is the usual scenario. Real companies, in a creative industry, setting up shop downtown. Total sweetness.

I agree, that venue has so much potential. A live music venue that's edgier than the Studio and nicer than the Casbah, and with dining options everywhere around it.

[thistleclub]

Five years later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nXWHTzHk7M

See also...

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=155816

[markhornich]

ceasars is now gone. They took it down overnight