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  #1  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2008, 1:23 PM
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St. Mark's Church

St. Mark's Church receives a reprieve

June 18, 2008
Nicole Macintyre
The Hamilton Spectator

A downtown "oasis" is getting another chance to stay green.

The city's planning committee agreed yesterday to investigate the cost of maintaining St. Mark's Church as a park, instead of selling off the heritage property.

Durand neighbourhood residents lined up to tell councillors their high-density area can't afford to lose the tiny plot of green space at the corner of Bay and Hunter streets. "It's an oasis," said Russell Elman.

Council previously declared the property surplus after staff determined it would be too costly to renovate the historic church. Staff were asked to investigate the best possible uses for the property to increase its value.

Their proposed uses, such as a restaurant, day nursery or retirement home, would require the original facade of the church be maintained but allowed for a sizeable addition and recommended the green space out front -- a popular spot for Durand residents to relax -- could be used for parking.

The church plot was purchased by the city in 1994, using its parkland dedication fund, so it should remain as a park, argued residents.

City staff confirmed the neighbourhood is 7.2 hectares short on parkland, but the city only buys sizable plots to create green space. The St. Mark's property is a fraction of a hectare.

"Give us green space wherever we can find it," said resident Janice Brown. "Why is it about money? Why isn't it about quality of life?"

Councillor Brian McHattie won the support of the committee to ask staff to report back on the cost of tearing down the rear portion of the church, stabilizing the rest and leaving the property as a park.

The city has already spent more than $142,000 on bracing to keep an addition to the church standing.
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Old Posted Jun 18, 2008, 3:15 PM
raisethehammer raisethehammer is offline
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again, our parking rules make this site useless.
I recall living in Portland and old schools and churches would be renovated into restaurants/clubs/patios etc....
here, we don't do anything without carving up the green space for a parking lot.
What a waste.
The most dense neighbourhood in the city could support a diner/cafe with no parking lot. memo to city hall.
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Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 9:58 AM
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using the city's formula they'd need 400 parking spaces if a cafe were to open at st. mark's.
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Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 11:11 AM
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St. Mark's neighbours fight to save their oasis

June 20, 2008
Paul Wilson
The Hamilton Spectator

In a big room in the bowels of the Hamilton Convention Centre where you can't tell day from night, the planning committee met the other day. They were there because city hall is shut down for repairs that will take a long, long time.

The meeting got under way with agenda item 6.2 -- what to do with old St. Mark's Church. The debate went on for more than 1 1/2 hours, and in the end the matter was sent back to staff for more information.

There was another way to handle the matter.

The politicians and the city staff could have risen from their chairs, headed out into the sunshine and taken a five-minute stroll.

Beyond the old wrought iron fence, they could have explored the front yard of St. Mark's. They could have smelled the roses, marvelled at the white blossoms of the mock orange, sat a spell on the park bench and gazed at the graceful but long-empty parish church, built before the car, before the highrise.

The politicians and city staff would marvel that even though there are three busy lanes of traffic pushing north on Bay and three more rushing west on Hunter, and a sky full of apartment towers all around, it is peaceful here.

And in minutes, those officials would have made their decision. "It's clear," they would have said with a single voice, "this little Shangri-La must stay."

St. Mark's opened in 1878, when the city population was 33,000. The Anglicans had already built four churches in Hamilton and this was the first made of brick. The bell tower, plus a Sunday school at the rear, were added in 1925.

By the 1980s, like many other churches, St. Mark's was in trouble. A For Sale sign went up and in 1994 the city bought St. Mark's for $425,000. There have been many ideas for using the building -- from drop-in centre to offices for city staff -- but none bore fruit.

Over the years, little St. Mark's has been on many council agendas.

This time the city looked at changing the zoning to sell off the property. Most scenarios would have seen the church saved, but put a parking lot in that green space.

That displeased Durand, the densest neighbourhood in Hamilton -- 12,000 people who are a melting pot of rich, poor, young, old, members of the Hamilton establishment and others just off the plane.

The DNA, or Durand Neighbourhood Association, packed the committee meeting. Citizen Gail Burstyn got up and said her piece.

She's a retired real estate agent who lives in a highrise beside St. Mark's. She looks out her bedroom window and sees people enjoying the grounds of St. Mark's -- catching a few rays, taking pictures, walking dogs and, in season, building snowmen.

She came here from Essex County to go to Mac, fell in love with Hamilton and never left.

"It's important to have some sense of nature in the concrete jungle," she says. "There's something spiritual about St. Mark's, a serenity to the place."

Mountain Councillor Terry Whitehead chaired the committee meeting. He said it wasn't fair for the city to be paying for this pint-sized park at St. Mark's, when a similar small-park proposal was turned down in his ward.

Most on the committee weren't around when the city bought St. Mark's. But Whitehead was former mayor Bob Morrow's assistant around that time, and he told the room he remembered why the city got involved in the first place.

"It clearly wasn't about saving open space as much as it was about saving the building," he said.

Not so, says Bill McCulloch, who represented the downtown ward on council at the time. He's 80, and steers clear of city politics now.

It was he who led the charge for the city to buy St. Mark's.

"But the open space is what we were really interested in protecting," he says.

And indeed the heritage designation plaque in front of the church makes particular mention of the "distinctive garden forecourt."

The interior of the church has been stripped, pews, altar, everything. About a dozen of the stained glass windows are intact, donors' names and all.

But four tension rods now hold the building together. The south wall leans 10 degrees. All those years with no one home have taken a toll on St. Mark's.

What if the church had to go? What if the facade was preserved, including that bell tower and that romantic arched front door, with garden growing all around it?

"If they had to take the church down, I'd feel badly," McCulloch says. "But save the open space. Absolutely."
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Old Posted Jul 29, 2015, 12:51 PM
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Looks like the St. Mark's Church has finally turned a new page....

Ottawa providing $2.16M for 11 Canada birthday projects in Hamilton

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/57...s-in-hamilton/

The Conservative government is providing $2.16 million to 11 infrastructure projects across Hamilton three months before the Oct. 19 federal election.

MP David Sweet announced Tuesday the largest amount of $847,976 for six projects — three in Flamborough and one each in Dundas, Stoney Creek and downtown Hamilton.

....

Ottawa is also providing $280,000 toward a $960,000 project to restore the 138-year-old St. Mark's Church, which the city bought in 1994 to save from demolition. The project will involve the Durand Neighbourhood Association.

Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr acknowledged no one can miss the timing of the announcement, but he said it shouldn't be surprising and is done by all levels of government.

"That doesn't take any of the gratitude away from this corner," he said. "There are people who have worked decades on just something for St. Mark's. The timing is irrelevant. The amount is the main thing."
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Old Posted Jul 30, 2015, 2:00 PM
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St Mark's is such a useless money pit. $980K will get burned up in five minutes, last time they put $250K into it you couldn't even see what they did. Isn't Whitehern already exhausting the Durand's supply of underused heritage buildings - and at least you can have weddings there. As for greenspace, you might be able to fit two picnic tables into the yard. This money is going to get flushed down the toilet and the building will remain surplus and unused except for very important DNA meetings.
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Old Posted Jul 31, 2015, 11:03 AM
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The St Mark's situation is a peculiar one. I guess this is a case where a line was drawn in the sand and the rest is history as they say.
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Old Posted Aug 2, 2015, 6:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by durandy View Post
St Mark's is such a useless money pit. $980K will get burned up in five minutes, last time they put $250K into it you couldn't even see what they did. Isn't Whitehern already exhausting the Durand's supply of underused heritage buildings - and at least you can have weddings there. As for greenspace, you might be able to fit two picnic tables into the yard. This money is going to get flushed down the toilet and the building will remain surplus and unused except for very important DNA meetings.
So what's the solution then? Let it rot? Sell and hope somebody makes something of it privately, either as a commercial venue or incorporated into a residential expansion? Knock it down completely and put up a new building?
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Old Posted Aug 2, 2015, 9:49 PM
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I feel like due to it's location, the options are pretty limited as to what the restored church could be used for.
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Old Posted Aug 3, 2015, 12:40 AM
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^Yeah, how about using it as a church?? Novel idea and probably the only reasonable solution to this ridiculous situation.
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Old Posted Aug 3, 2015, 11:03 PM
Beedok Beedok is offline
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Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce View Post
^Yeah, how about using it as a church?? Novel idea and probably the only reasonable solution to this ridiculous situation.
There's not that much demand for those these days. Maybe turning it into a mosque?
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Old Posted Aug 3, 2015, 11:51 PM
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^It's been done before...
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Old Posted Aug 4, 2015, 12:33 PM
HillStreetBlues HillStreetBlues is offline
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Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce View Post
^It's been done before...
They converted a bunch of 'em in what was Constantinople a while back. Maybe consult them.
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Old Posted Aug 8, 2015, 1:16 AM
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St. Mark’s to stay public with repairs on the horizon

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/57...n-the-horizon/

The private sector turned down a chance to take over crumbling St. Mark's church just weeks before the federal government offered up $280,000 in repair cash.

The Canada 150 Community Infrastructure cash depends on the city paying the other two-thirds of the $960,000 project and completing it on a tight 2017 deadline – in time for the country's sesquicentennial.

"We do have to move quickly. But that's not a bad thing for the building," said heritage resource management head Ian Kerr-Wilson, noting the long decline of a late 1800s-era building with a bad roof, damaged floors and no heat, electricity or water.

"The first goal is to stop the decay, to make the building safe and secure."

The city can also focus specifically on resurrecting the Bay Street South church for public use now that private development appears off the table, said downtown Coun. Jason Farr.

Council voted last year to solicit private sector interest as an alternative to a staff-pitched plan to turn the building into a community cultural space, but no bids were submitted by the time the request for proposals process closed last month.

"I have to say I'm happy with that result, given the obvious community interest in maintaining the building for public use," said Farr, who praised in particular the Durand Neighbourhood Association (DNA) for rallying to protect the old church.

Yonatan Rozenszajn, a DNA director and federal Conservative election candidate, had previously urged council to seek Canada 150 funding for the church despite reservations from city staff. Farr ultimately made a successful motion to add the church to the list of funding program submissions at the last minute.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he welcomes all federal funding, but added he's worried about "spending money on something that does not yet have a defined, viable use."

The mayor noted several plans for the old church have fallen apart over time and the city's latest plans are not fleshed out. "The building is clearly historic, the park space is delightful, but we can't save all historic buildings," he said. "I certainly want to hear more details about a solid plan for the future."

A detailed proposal on how the city would run and fund a cultural centre on the site should come in the fall, said Kerr-Wilson. But first, the city will report to council on how the rest of the repair project — including brick repointing and window replacement, on top of mechanical systems replacement — could be covered.

Kerr-Wilson said the ward area rating fund and tax stabilization reserve are potential funding pots. The department could also "reallocate" funds for other projects by delaying scheduled replastering at Whitehern Museum, for example.

Farr said he's also considering asking council to approve the use of funds the city will eventually reap from the sale of another heritage building, the former Charlton Hall.

St. Mark's Anglican Church closed in 1990, but residents opposed a diocese plan to build offices and a residential tower on the site. The city bought and designated the property for $425,000 in the mid-1990s, but balked at a then-$315,000 repair estimate.

This year, about $100,000 from the Ward 2 area rating budget will be spent on the roof after a resident vote.
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Old Posted Jul 6, 2022, 7:16 PM
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The City of Hamilton has broken ground on the restoration of a historic 145-year-old church in the downtown core.

https://www.insauga.com/restoration-...l48WbKIIT5LeOY

St. Mark’s Church is being converted into a multi-use cultural centre that will include large open spaces, a stage, an outdoor gathering space, a patio, and a perennial garden.

Funding for the project is being supported by the Patrick J. McNally Charitable Foundation.

“This project will transform this historic church into a new cultural centre for all to enjoy,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. “We thank the McNally Foundation for their generous contribution and look forward to celebrating the completed project and seeing it in wide use by the Hamilton community.”

Built in 1877, St. Mark’s was the first Anglican Church in Hamilton to be built out of brick. It closed in 1989 and the city purchased the property the following year before it eventually gained heritage designation.

Located at 130 Bay St. South, St. Mark’s is located in one of the most densely-populated downtown neighbourhoods in Hamilton.

The adaptive re-use project went to tender last March and the contract was awarded in May.

Construction will begin in July with completion scheduled for summer 2024.
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Old Posted Jul 6, 2022, 8:21 PM
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Well only 34 years.
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Old Posted May 24, 2023, 5:32 PM
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