Posted Feb 12, 2021, 11:41 PM
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Ham-burgher
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 6,521
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Story in the Spec today. Not much of an update, but nonetheless things are still going on behind the scenes.
Hamilton’s infamous church facade: a check in on the Connolly
https://www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...-connolly.html
By Sarah Sheehan
The Hamilton Spectator
Fri., Feb. 12, 2021
The forlorn church fragment at James and Jackson is a strange hybrid. Only the eastern part remains of the former James Street Baptist, its footprint still claiming half a block in downtown Hamilton. No longer whole, and not yet reintegrated into the urban fabric, it awaits its fate as the basis for the Connolly, a much-anticipated condo development.
History buffs might recognize the name of Irish-Canadian architect Joseph Connolly, who also designed St. Patrick’s at King and Victoria. But newcomers to Hamilton know the site only as a ruin. Google Street View from October shows a lone pedestrian, masked for the pandemic, in front of the hoarding. Behind them, graffiti reads, “IT COULD BE WORSE.”
What’s left of James Street Baptist won fame in 2017 as a digitally altered demolition site in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” When the production needed to film a church being demolished by Gilead fundamentalists, Hamilton had just the place. The scene’s visual effects helped earn the show a Primetime Emmy nomination.
But for those who were here for the demolition, the dominant theme is trauma. Architect Drew Hauser received hate mail when most of the church was demolished over 18 days in spring, 2014. Although the entire structure was protected by a 1990 heritage designation, the city classed the destruction as a “minor alteration,” making it exempt from public consultation. Despite developer Louie Santaguida’s sale of some three-quarters of the units, no ground was broken on the first Connolly project, and it went into receivership in 2017.
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Updates on the development weren’t immediately forthcoming, with no response to emails to Hue Developments and the local sales office. Finally, McCallum Sather Architects, who are continuing on the new Connolly, referred me to kg&a, a communications strategy firm that bills itself as “one of the only in Canada specializing in the urban landscape.” A kg&a representative confirmed that Hue Developments is still a partner on the project.
“Given the ongoing pandemic, we have faced unanticipated delays, but are preparing for the launch of Connolly Condos in late 2021,” said Lukasz Wywrot, CEO of LCH Developments, in an emailed statement. “We’ve (recently) achieved some exciting milestones. We’ve completed numerous detailed investigations of key areas such as the above-grade masonry, slate roof condition, and stained glass and truss design. Our consultant team for the building envelope design has been engaged including engineers, building scientists, consultants, etc. to begin work.
“We’ve completed 80 per cent of our conservation plan to date, including engaging with stained glass conservator Vitreous Glassworks on the stained glass restoration,” Wywrot said. (MSA’s design envisions the 30-foot stained glass window as a focal point for the gym.) “We expect this important work to ramp up this year.”
In December 2020, the developers renewed their lapsed heritage permit for changes to the remaining portion of James Street Baptist.
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Full story here
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