On Sunday I had the opportunity to lead a PedRides bicycle tour on contemporary architecture in the core. The focus of my tour was on adaptive-reuse and restoration, as well as new builds.
I started the tour with a quote from one of the great architectural theorists, Rem Koolhaas. He said, “Preservation is overtaking us.” His theory is as the year’s progress, preservation is becoming more prevalent. It’s being approached proactively instead of retroactively and contemporary architecture plays an important role in regards to a buildings future form and function.
The route was very ad-hoc and the buildings I discussed varied. I didn’t cover everything I wanted because I was under the weather and new to giving tours. When it comes to tours, I’m generally more comfortable in a double-decker bus listening to some overly enthusiastic guide rattle off the same information all day to a bunch of snap-happy tourists.
The ride was fun, the people were great, and it was in the city I love. What more could you ask for? I would gladly do it again.
I will be posting articles about each building in the same order as the tour (except for Witton Lofts, as I’ve already written about it). First up is Mills Hardware. Stay tuned!
Rebuild Hamilton 