154 Main St East | 81.75 m | 26 fl | Complete - Page 12

Chronamut · #**221** Posted **Oct 6, 2019, 6:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

If it is a hotel than it totally has the elements of an alt hotel design.

It would make sense - great spot for a hotel.

Although one has to wonder why the royal connaught suffered as a hotel if they're still building new ones..

king10 · #**222** Posted **Oct 6, 2019, 8:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronamut

It would make sense - great spot for a hotel.

Although one has to wonder why the royal connaught suffered as a hotel if they're still building new ones..

When the hotel closed in 2004, I'd like to think the economics of downtown Hamilton hotels were much different. Perhaps they are better today with the investments being made in the downtown(both public and private dollars).

Also Darko Vranich owns a lot of the hotels in downtown hamilton, he may be willing to live with lower profit margins than some other past owners.

ScreamingViking · #**223** Posted **Oct 6, 2019, 8:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Although one has to wonder why the royal connaught suffered as a hotel if they're still building new ones..

Likely being out-of-date without a good financial case for investment to gut the place and modernize/renovate. I recall being in one of the rooms in the late 1980s after a school prom and it wasn't pretty... and not long after that downtown began to hit bottom.

Chronamut · #**224** Posted **Oct 7, 2019, 5:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Likely being out-of-date without a good financial case for investment to gut the place and modernize/renovate. I recall being in one of the rooms in the late 1980s after a school prom and it wasn't pretty... and not long after that downtown began to hit bottom.

A shame.. I would have loved to have stayed there in it's glory years - Al Capone apparently stayed at the Connaught.

matt602 · #**225** Posted **Oct 7, 2019, 10:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronamut

It would make sense - great spot for a hotel.

Although one has to wonder why the royal connaught suffered as a hotel if they're still building new ones..

By 2004, the Royal Connaught had already been owned by a string of companies that could barely make a go of it financially. The building was also in need of serious repairs and investment that didn't make financial sense given the state of downtown Hamilton in the 1990's and early 2000's. It's a surprise that it lasted as long as it did.

TheRitsman · #**226** Posted **Oct 13, 2019, 2:39 PM**

Work has started back up on this, saw them working on it this Friday:

Hawrylyshyn · #**227** Posted **Dec 17, 2019, 4:33 PM**

Couldn't get a picture, but this is above ground now

King&James · #**228** Posted **Jan 26, 2020, 4:59 AM**

here is photo from today, slowly rising

StEC · #**229** Posted **Feb 1, 2020, 1:47 AM**

Jan 31st update... The quality of this build in the very early stages is a bit concerning. Hoping the finished product is much better!

TheRitsman · #**230** Posted **Feb 1, 2020, 2:24 AM**

2/10

My feeling is that Darko wants good looking building, but he's sketch as hell and cheap. From good sources he's very much about the money, but he also likes to be seen as building legitimate and nice looking buildings. He wants his legacy to be hotels and beautiful condos.

My bet is that if this is the final product he will do the same as the 20/22 George Street building and have them remove what looks bad and replace it.

lachlanholmes · #**231** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 1:50 AM**

I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now but only for now. I went by the site yesterday afternoon and took some pictures. I'll only post a few of them that are important to my next points and show different angles as no difference is visible from Stec's pictures:

First and foremost it is obvious that this is not your usual poured concrete construction. We knew early on it would be using precast in some manner, but this is using a 'total precast' solution which involves both the common exterior precast and the less common structural precast. If you look at the last picture of the photos I've posted you see a structural precast joint. In the first photo I posted, you see the big difference in colouration of the precast concrete (most of 2nd floor and up) versus regular poured concrete (some of 2nd floor and below).

The advantages of this as I understand it are cost and speed. It's allows you to build a lot faster and a decent amount cheaper.

The precast supplier for this project is Stubbe's precast. They are the same precast supplier as the 2014 stalinist block on Main West and the 2016 Vrancor project on Cannon East, festooned with red racing stripes. Note those are both also total precast projects.

I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt because as Ritsman pointed out Vranich may have a change of heart and change out the exterior finish for something better, and secondly because the exterior precast we see so far may be painted or given a coat of EIFS or something that makes it look better. It will be a "time will tell" matter.

TheRitsman · #**232** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 3:21 AM**

I'm betting it will be painted, because at the moment the different colours are definitely not final. I'm curious about the piece with the chunk taken out on the side facing Main.

Hawrylyshyn · #**233** Posted **Feb 3, 2020, 1:56 PM**

Is the parking garage out back still happening? Or in a different phase?

Chronamut · #**234** Posted **Feb 4, 2020, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by King&James

some of the pics from Brooklyn Contracting

A reminder of what it will look like when done

Remember the back of the building won't matter much as it will be covered by the parking garage. The colouring in the renders almost hints at like a stucco or beige or taupe or "dark grey" finish.

realcity · #**235** Posted **Feb 4, 2020, 6:16 PM**

I like black towers with lighting and something on the roof like Stelco. Don't mind dark grey as long as there is a lighting effect on it.

Chronamut · #**236** Posted **Feb 4, 2020, 6:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by realcity

I like black towers with lighting and something on the roof like Stelco. Don't mind dark grey as long as there is a lighting effect on it.

Agreed. This one looks like some design thought was put into it instead of just making it a giant rectangular slab, which I despise.

StEC · #**237** Posted **Feb 16, 2020, 8:07 PM**

This is the only construction site that seems to be making significant progress at the moment in the downtown core!

Davis137 · #**238** Posted **Feb 17, 2020, 3:39 PM**

Still nice to see this one going skyward in the first place. It should be interesting to watch and see what happens with this one as it rises...

Chronamut · #**239** Posted **Feb 20, 2020, 5:04 PM**

Yeah I noticed last time I went by it that some of the panels appear to have chipped corners or are damaged on the bottom - not sure what they will do to fix this.

lachlanholmes · #**240** Posted **Feb 20, 2020, 5:32 PM**

Vrancor is seeking an extra storey at the Committee of Adjustment. Also, apparently this is a hotel project?!