Posted Jan 3, 2019, 11:43 PM
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Downtown Hamilton: Another chapter in the story of Treble Hall
(Hamilton spectator, Kathy Renwald, Jan 3 2019)
Sitting on a windowsill overlooking Gore Park, Anthony Quattrociocchi takes his place among the builders, dreamers and saviours who have owned a legendary piece of Hamilton real estate known as Treble Hall.
The regal building graces a solid stretch of John Street North. Since 1879, through boom times and neglect, it has cast its dignified shadow over a street in frequent flux.
Treble Hall was designed by James Balfour, an architect who enhanced this city with grand buildings, including the old city hall, the Tuckett mansion (now Scottish Rite) and Ravenscliff. Treble Hall and its three and a half stories held stores, offices and an assembly hall.
Now for the first time in its history, it is housing people. In December, tenants started moving in, attracted to the wood floors, exposed beams and expansive windows looking out on the city's ever-changing street life. There are 15 apartments, some still under construction.
"It's the worst experience, ever." Quattrociocchi, owner of Yoke Group, says with a rueful smile. "When you're working with a building that dates to 1850, and trying to fit an elevator in, and bring everything up to code, it's a challenge."
Jeff Feswick feels the pain. He put five years of his soul into Treble Hall before selling it to Quattrociocchi. Another man with a passion for the past, Feswick, owner of Historia Building Restoration, laboured away at Treble Hall, carefully restoring heritage features and rescuing artifacts including bottles, newspapers, even corsets, found under floor boards. After spending nearly $2 million on the building, it was time to pass it on.
Treble Hall has a quirky footprint. The ornate part faces John Street, but it also includes another 1850s-era building fronting on King Street. It was the home of the famous Pagoda Restaurant. The apartment in that section, has a bird's-eye view of Gore Park. Rental prices on the apartments ranging from 384 to 723 square feet are $1,490 to $2,400.
Read it in full here.
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"Where architectural imagination is absent, the case is hopeless." - Louis Sullivan
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