preservation

Friday April 8, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday April 8, 2016 Gore developers back with plan to save some historical features Developers of a site with historic buildings facing Gore Park are back with an amended proposal to save some and incorporate some heritage features before demolishing the current structures and rebuilding. The redevelopment project screeched to a halt in 2013 when city council slapped a last-minute heritage designation on a small strip of buildings addressed 18 to 28 King St. E. just before they were to be torn down. They are on the southside of the park. Proponents for redeveloping the site made an unscheduled appearance before city council's general issues committee Wednesday with a new plan to save the faade of 18 to 22 King and demolish the rest. A new five-storey, 20,000-square-foot building is planned that will also encompass a small adjacent vacant property where a building was demolished in 2011. The building will have retail stores on the first floor and 14 apartments above, all with balconies overlooking Gore Park, said Tim Bullock, a lawyer representing the consortium that owns the properties. The preserved faade will form half of the new building's front. "This is a compromise," Bullock told councillors. He said the faade to be preserved has Escarpment stone in its design and has the most heritage features worthy of preservation. The other faade or building front, on addresses 24 to 28, has fewer heritage features, different stonework, and has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair, he said. "Restoring all the facades would make it economically unfeasible É The engineering report says 28 (King St. E.) is very unsafe and 24 King has had its heritage features stripped." The two addresses also have small retail fronts not suitable to today's retail industry, he added. The new plan is "very respectful of the Gore," he suggested. "It's a win-win for the city." Architect David Premi, who worked on th

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 8, 2016

Gore developers back with plan to save some historical features

Developers of a site with historic buildings facing Gore Park are back with an amended proposal to save some and incorporate some heritage features before demolishing the current structures and rebuilding.

The redevelopment project screeched to a halt in 2013 when city council slapped a last-minute heritage designation on a small strip of buildings addressed 18 to 28 King St. E. just before they were to be torn down. They are on the southside of the park.

Proponents for redeveloping the site made an unscheduled appearance before city council’s general issues committee Wednesday with a new plan to save the façade of 18 to 22 King and demolish the rest.

A new five-storey, 20,000-square-foot building is planned that will also encompass a small adjacent vacant property where a building was demolished in 2011.

The building will have retail stores on the first floor and 14 apartments above, all with balconies overlooking Gore Park, said Tim Bullock, a lawyer representing the consortium that owns the properties.



The preserved façade will form half of the new building’s front.

“This is a compromise,” Bullock told councillors.

He said the façade to be preserved has Escarpment stone in its design and has the most heritage features worthy of preservation.

The other façade or building front, on addresses 24 to 28, has fewer heritage features, different stonework, and has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair, he said.

“Restoring all the facades would make it economically unfeasible … The engineering report says 28 (King St. E.) is very unsafe and 24 King has had its heritage features stripped.”

The two addresses also have small retail fronts not suitable to today’s retail industry, he added.

The new plan is “very respectful of the Gore,” he suggested. “It’s a win-win for the city.”

Architect David Premi, who worked on the downtown library and farmers’ market project, told councillors the building, with the original façade for half of its front and a complementing front for the other half is “an attempt to be respectful” to the original design. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Saturday November 21, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday November 21, 2015 Confusion surrounds push to preserve Desjardins Canal bridge The fate of one of the city's busiest old bridges is up in the air. And it's entirely possible that not one of the 5,180 drivers-per-hour who use it at peak times could name or even locate the bridge on a map. Don't feel bad Ñ neither could Hamilton councillors Wednesday, despite their decision to talk to the province about preserving parts of the 84-year-old span. The Ministry of Transportation calls the structure one-half of the Desjardins Canal bridges Ñ basically, the east and west traffic lanes of Highway 403 that cross the old watercourse connecting the harbour to Cootes Paradise. But in a previous life, the eastbound span was called the Longwood low-level bridge, carrying that road across the canal from 1931 until the 1960s, when it was incorporated into the highway. (The westbound span was built in the '60s.) The city has to act fast if it wants to influence a looming provincial plan to replace the historical bridge, said Coun. Aidan Johnson, who moved a motion Wednesday directing staff to talk to the province. "All heritage architecture and infrastructure in the city should be protected to the best of our ability precisely because it is our heritage," he said. "Especially if the province is going to pay for it." Johnson said city cultural staff alerted him to the impending bridge replacement Ñ and an opportunity, through the environmental assessment, to lobby to retain "heritage aspects" of the concrete bridge, such as distinctive abutments. The bridge doesn't meet the criteria to be a provincial heritage bridge, according to the project website. But MTO spokesperson Astrid Poei said via email it's possible the existing bridge piers could be "cut off" and preserved to "reflect the width and materials of the old bridge" with the cost of the work covered by the province. A replacement bridge would

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 21, 2015

Confusion surrounds push to preserve Desjardins Canal bridge

The fate of one of the city’s busiest old bridges is up in the air.

And it’s entirely possible that not one of the 5,180 drivers-per-hour who use it at peak times could name or even locate the bridge on a map.

Beaten to death by the stadium

Don’t feel bad — neither could Hamilton councillors Wednesday, despite their decision to talk to the province about preserving parts of the 84-year-old span.

The Ministry of Transportation calls the structure one-half of the Desjardins Canal bridges — basically, the east and west traffic lanes of Highway 403 that cross the old watercourse connecting the harbour to Cootes Paradise.

But in a previous life, the eastbound span was called the Longwood low-level bridge, carrying that road across the canal from 1931 until the 1960s, when it was incorporated into the highway. (The westbound span was built in the ’60s.)

The dreams which never die

The city has to act fast if it wants to influence a looming provincial plan to replace the historical bridge, said Coun. Aidan Johnson, who moved a motion Wednesday directing staff to talk to the province.

“All heritage architecture and infrastructure in the city should be protected to the best of our ability precisely because it is our heritage,” he said. “Especially if the province is going to pay for it.”

Johnson said city cultural staff alerted him to the impending bridge replacement — and an opportunity, through the environmental assessment, to lobby to retain “heritage aspects” of the concrete bridge, such as distinctive abutments.

The bridge doesn’t meet the criteria to be a provincial heritage bridge, according to the project website. But MTO spokesperson Astrid Poei said via email it’s possible the existing bridge piers could be “cut off” and preserved to “reflect the width and materials of the old bridge” with the cost of the work covered by the province.

A replacement bridge would still be built, she noted, but the remnant piers would remain as city property. Construction is slated to start next year and won’t finish until 2018.

Neverending Lister

The project website says the preferred fix for the aging canal span is to completely replace and widen the old Longwood bridge while rehabilitating the younger westbound highway structure.

Johnson argued the city has nothing to lose for arguing to preserve part of the “beautiful” bridge — even as he acknowledged being initially confused about exactly what bridge is under threat.

Councillors bemusedly searched the Internet and unsuccessfully tossed out guesses about exactly which bridge was under discussion during the meeting.

The confusion was understandable — the canal is criss-crossed by several historic spans, including the McQuesten high-level bridge and rail bridges used by CP and CN.

But unless you paddle the canal or walk the adjacent trail, you’d never realize the stretch of Highway 403 is a bridge at all.

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, a former construction industry boss, expressed doubt about the idea of a partial preservation.

“In my experience, it’s not easy to save parts of a bridge,” he said. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Thursday June 15, 2006

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday June 15, 2006 Council Votes to Demolish the Lister Block Judgment day has arrived for Hamilton's Lister Block. Councillors voted Wednesday night to demolish the building to make way for a $30-million office building with a replicated facade. The majority of councillors supported the demolition request by the Labourers' International Union of North America and partner Hi-Rise Group. The wild card, however, remains in the province's hands. Councillor Brian McHattie has asked the government to intervene and designate the Lister as a provincial heritage building. The Minister of Culture plans to weigh in now that council has voted. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Hamilton, heritage, Lister Block, preservation, Brian McHattie, Demolition

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 15, 2006

Council Votes to Demolish the Lister Block

Judgment day has arrived for Hamilton’s Lister Block.

Councillors voted Wednesday night to demolish the building to make way for a $30-million office building with a replicated facade.

ListerBlockThe majority of councillors supported the demolition request by the Labourers’ International Union of North America and partner Hi-Rise Group.

The wild card, however, remains in the province’s hands.

Councillor Brian McHattie has asked the government to intervene and designate the Lister as a provincial heritage building. The Minister of Culture plans to weigh in now that council has voted. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)