400 King St E | ? m| 3 fl | Complete

[Pulkvedis Pods]

Red Cross building desheathing by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr

Someone might want to take a picture of the front facade. I only saw it from my car, and it looked as though all the aluminum sheathing is off.

[TheRitsman]

[Pulkvedis Pods]

Ritsman, where did you find the information that this project is 3 fl? Do you know what is to come of this building?

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Pulkvedis Pods

Ritsman, where did you find the information that this project is 3 fl? Do you know what is to come of this building?

No idea. I'd reach out to Core Urban.

[SteelTown]

I'm guessing it's a renovation, so I put existing 3 floors and under construction since we can see they are actually doing reno work.

[Pulkvedis Pods]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I'm guessing it's a renovation, so I put existing 3 floors and under construction since we can see they are actually doing reno work.

Understood. Thanks for the explanation! Can't wait to find out what they have up there sleeve.

[Chronamut]

Are there any photos of what this building ORIGINALLY looked like? Cuz if it's core urban there is a good likelihood that that is what they are aiming at..

wish someone would put the original roof back on the building beside it, with the hammer art on the side of the building.. it was originally quite stately looking.

[Pulkvedis Pods]

400KingEast6 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr

Today.

[Chronamut]

lol it looks like something out of flint michigan now..

[Pulkvedis Pods]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

lol it looks like something out of flint michigan now..

400KingStEast1 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr

SandblastingIsFundamental by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr
Now it looks a little more like Lansing! Erm, Core Urban said that this is a reno, remaining at 3 floors, but wouldn't say whether this is going to be residential or office.

[Pulkvedis Pods]

The sandblasting has continued on and off, inside and out. The building is looking much better than before. Active work site. Latest I heard was that Mission Services is going to move in here.

[johnnyhamont]

Joe

[TheHonestMaple]

Story in The Spec today. Core Urban bought the Mission Services building at James and Barton. As part of the deal, they are renovating this site on King East and then will be handing it over to the mission.

[Pulkvedis Pods]

400 King East by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr

Windows going in. Building cleaned up.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

Story in The Spec today. Core Urban bought the Mission Services building at James and Barton. As part of the deal, they are renovating this site on King East and then will be handing it over to the mission.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...es-moving.html

Mission Services leaving longtime James North location in downtown Hamilton

Mission Services plans to move its downtown Hamilton men’s shelter to a larger, renovated building.

The move is part of a deal with local developer Core Urban, which has purchased the James Street North property.

Core Urban is refurbishing a three-storey building on King Street East, just east of Wellington Street South, to serve as the new men’s shelter.

With the move, Mission Services retains its 58 emergency beds and adds 50 self-contained, transitional-housing spaces.

But the relocation isn’t without controversy.

Coun. Nrinder Nann points to an “overconcentration” of shelters and related services in her central Hamilton ward.

Mission Services, meanwhile, says it couldn’t pass up the 400 King St. E. site.

“When this opportunity came along in this location, in terms of our needs to be able to serve our clients, it was a good fit,” said Wendy Kennelly, associate executive director.

Core Urban is excited to pick up the Mission Services property at James and Barton, where a pair of three-storey buildings stand.

“It’s a great corner. It’s a gateway to the waterfront,” co-founder Steve Kulakowsky said.

For now, the plan is to retrofit office space there, but down the road, he sees a mix of denser residential and commercial development on the site.

“When it comes time, whatever we do at James and Barton will fit in with the neighbourhood.”

Core Urban’s previous work includes the six-storey Templar Flats on King William Street, which added to two buildings and includes ground-level eateries.

This isn’t the first time the firm has worked with Mission Services.

It bought the social-service agency’s brick schoolhouse location on Murray Street, just north of Barton, and turned it into the six-storey Witton Lofts in 2013.

Would-be buyers have approached Mission Services “numerous times” over the years, Kennelly said. The shelter has been on James North since 1956.

“The discussion that I always had with them was we would be open, but you need to find us a suitable location. It has to be a better facility than what we have.”

Proximity to services was also key. “That’s important for the clients that we serve,” Kennelly said.

The 400 King location is close to St. Patrick Parish, where people line up for meals, and not far from Wesley Urban Ministries’ day centre on Catharine Street North.

Kennelly and Kulakowsky declined to discuss the financial details of the transaction.

According to property records, Core Urban bought 400 King from the Red Cross for $3.15 million in January.

When the work is done — the goal is before winter hits — the property will be handed over to Mission Services.

The century-old brick building, which was covered in cladding, has potential, Kulakowsky said.

“The big timber beams and posts ... will be in the shelter. Just because it’s a shelter doesn’t mean it can’t be attractive both on the outside and the inside.”

T

Generally I'm very supportive of this. Renovations on a prominent property on James North, 50 new shelter beds, and this building is renovated and restored as well. Good news all around.

[Chronamut]

I kinda wish theyd knock out the first floor windows up to the arches and incorporate those

Also am I the only one who thinks the GIANT lintels above the windows on the third and second floor seem.. unusual? I mean kudos for stone and I'm sure that's how it looked originally.. but it makes me very curious to see pictures of what this building originally looked like in its heyday... cuz there is a lot of mishmash going on - even in the original bricks.. sometimes I wish they'd just rebrick the exterior.

Still, glad they are moving into a building that better suits their needs, just the part about it looking good on the outside, I mean I don't doubt core urban, but to me this needs more than just a powerwash hehe..

It needs.. a better cornice

[ScreamingViking]

It would be interesting to know the full history of this building. It's looking very industrial now.

As for qualms about locating yet another social service in this part of the city, I understand that completely. Great that this will provide new opportunities, but the geographic concentration of such facilities in the central lower city is something that will need to be discussed. It will not likely happen at the provincial level (which is where it should... mental health and social issues go far beyond municipal jurisdiction and capacity!) but strategic planning can happen locally in the absence of "higher" political will. Doubt it will happen, as this is too easy to sweep under the rug.

[TheHonestMaple]

It would be nice if some of the surrounding cities of similar size (KW, Niagara, Mississauga, Brampton) could build a few of these and take some of the burden off Hamilton. Seems like Hamilton at some point decided to build a few of these, and now we're a destination :/

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

It would be nice if some of the surrounding cities of similar size (KW, Niagara, Mississauga, Brampton) could build a few of these and take some of the burden off Hamilton. Seems like Hamilton at some point decided to build a few of these, and now we're a destination :/

It was the province that decided it to a certain degree. They decided to focus all the resources here because it was central and close enough to Toronto, and because the thought was that by offering jobs and people to downtown it would revitalize it not recognizing that too many individuals struggling through issues in one place doesn't lead to positive outcomes. It's why the social housing apartment blocks of Regent Park are being torn down and replaced with a newer option that is more likely to improve the lives of those living there with mental health and addictions issues.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

It would be nice if some of the surrounding cities of similar size (KW, Niagara, Mississauga, Brampton) could build a few of these and take some of the burden off Hamilton. Seems like Hamilton at some point decided to build a few of these, and now we're a destination :/

I think many larger cities do have the supports -- the organizations that run them saw the need and tried to fill it, including whatever municipal programs are in place. And just based on percentages alone a larger municipality will have more people who require the assistance.

The smaller ones should have their own, scaled to local need, but I think they tend not to. And why worry about it when there are other places that can provide for the demand?

The playing field for this issue is extremely unbalanced. Even if the province uploaded these social services, we'd still see larger places serving a disproportionate amount of the burden; but they'd just not have to cover much of the funding.

Thing is, even within Hamilton the situation is unbalanced. These centres should not just be in the downtown area of the city. I don't know exactly what's available on the mountain, or in Stoney Creek or Dundas, but I doubt it's remotely comparable (and especially for Ancaster and Waterdown; homelessness, drug dependency, mental health, poverty... none of those are a problem in those suburbs, apparently )

Anyway, the outcome here looks positive. It will be great to see what Core Urban does with the old buildings on James -- combined with the redevelopment north of the tracks, and along the west harbour waterfront, James between Barton and Guise will be much changed for the better.