Canadian Westinghouse Head Office – 286 Sanford Ave N
Architectural Spotlight: Witton Lofts
Witton Lofts
Lintack Architects
Core Urban Inc. Development
50 Murray St
Completed: 2013
Due to demographic shifts, seemingly poor management, budget constraints, and multiple other circumstances, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is facing school closures throughout the city. Witton Lofts, formerly McIlwraight Public School, is a intelligent example of how you can adaptively re-use a former school without a wrecking ball.
Completed in 2013, the five-storey, 36-unit loft is a catalyst for redevelopment in the core. The design of the building effectively incorporates and preserves the two-storey school from 1925, while a three-storey emerald jewel box of glass and steel is superimposed on top of the neo-Romanesque building. The outcome is a harmonious marriage of contemporary and classical architecture. 
New entrances have been relocated to the east side of the building, where an elevator has been added for accessibility to the upper floors. 
Two additional entrances are also located at the rear of the building under original arched doorways. 
The schools façade has largely remained unchanged with its detailed limestone ornament and intricate, colourful brickwork. The only changes being cosmetic and structural upgrades, such as pot lights and new windows.
With a mixture of both fully enclosed and open-air balconies, the lofts offer panoramic vistas of both the bay and James Street North. 
Parking garages for residents have also been added for additional parking and storage.
Architect William Palmer Witton designed McIlwraight Public School while he was partnered with Walter Wilson Stewart. During his formative years, Witton apprenticed under Alder & Sullivan (two of America’s most influential architects) in Chicago between 1893 and 1894, where he was trained in the Beaux Arts tradition. His other notable Hamilton landmarks include Herkimer Apartments, George R. Allan Public School, and a chancel addition to Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, to name a few.
In 2013, Witton Lofts received the City of Hamilton Urban Design Award of Excellence for Adaptive Reuse.
Filed under Architecture
In Photos: Churches of Dundas
St. Pauls United Church – 29 Park St W
Knox Presbyterian Church – 23 Melville St
St. Augustine’s Parish – 58 Sydenham St
St. James Anglican Church – 137 Melville St
New Apostolic Church – 323 Hatt St
Christian Science Society-Hamilton – 245 Mill St
St Mark’s United Church – 1 Lynndale Dr
Dundas Baptist Church – 201 Governors Rd
Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Hamilton – 200 Old Guelph Rd
Seventh-Day Adventist Church Reform Movement – 673 York Rd
Rock Chapel United Church – 451 Rock Chapel Rd
Filed under Uncategorized
PHOTO OF THE DAY – August 31st
The Stanley Roscoe designed Station 11 – 24 Ray St South
Filed under Uncategorized
In Defense of Tivoli Condos
Last week Diamante Investments and MSA architects released their recent renderings of Tivoli Condos, a 22-storey, 106 unit, mix-use condo situated on James Street North.
In many ways, the proposed condo is a daring design for the city. The building is a bold, new, and contemporary style of condominiums.
However, the real daring in its design is its height. Like much of James Street North, the property is only zoned for three to six stories, meaning this development will require amended bylaws.
More about the bylaws here: What the 22-storey Tivoli Proposal Means for James Street and Downtown
The proposed amendments to change zoning requirements for its height, setback, and parking have sparked controversy. The arguments against the proposed changes are that the building will be out of context with the neighbourhood and could harm the downtown’s future development.
James Street North is in the midst of a revolution. A street of predominately three to four storey buildings, coffee shops, thrift stores, restaurants and many other small businesses have made this old cultural hub vibrant and popular again. It is unsurprising for the neighbourhood to be cautious of any development that might deadlock its progress.
However, as this city gains momentum through potential investments like this development, changes are inevitable.
As design evolves and infill is required to create density, regulations will need to change to accommodate the growth of a city. Heritage plays an integral role in the cities future, but it also shouldn’t be what slows it down. For years this city has seen an unchecked growth in sprawl, straining the core and hindering its economy. Now, as the urban pattern shifts, the city needs to think big. In order to intensify the core, the only way to build is up.
The Tivoli Theatre proposal is far from out of context. A three storey commercial podium at street level, as well as the renovation of the old Tivoli Theatre, will not only connect the building with its immediate streetscape, but also add to James North’s walkability and commercial viability.
The remaining 19 storeys of residential space are an appealing prospect. With the James Street North GO expansion, SoBi Hamilton Bikeshare, proximity to the Bayfront and its location on one of the hottest streets in the city, this development will have no issues finding buyers.
As we build higher, we will see more people in the core, more business, more investment, and what’s most important to the city, more tax revenue.
Filed under Development, Opinion
Architectural Spotlight: Atrium@MIP
Atrium@MIP (formerly Westinghouse West Plant)
William P. Souter and Associates/Lintack Architects
175 Longwood Road South
Completed: 1950/2009
Kickstarting the renovation projects on Longwood Road South, the premier multi-tenant building at McMaster’s Innovation Park was The Atrium@MIP. Updated in 2009 at a cost of $17 million, it continues to be a strong model of adaptive reuse for the many vacant industrial buildings throughout West Hamilton and beyond.
Formerly the Westinghouse (and later Camco) West Plant office building, it was completed in 1950 as a classic example of modern industrial architecture. Although it has been described as International Style architecture, this should be considered conceptually as a blanket term, rather than an example of a particular style. Designed by William P. Souter and Associates, the building shares similarities with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Administration Building and Albert Kahn’s Burroughs Adding Machine Plant.
The floor plans of The Atrium@MIP interior shadow the classic Larkin Administration Building – in particular, extensive spatial unity and natural light. The newly renovated framework closely resembles Wright’s Larkin masterpiece, including an innermost light court providing natural luminosity to all floors of the buildings vertical layout.
Though much smaller in scale, the surface of the building shares a similar composition to the Burroughs Adding Machine Plant. The red brick façade, stringcourses, tower-like entrance, and symmetrical windows echo the modern influence of the 1930s that inspired Khan in Plymouth.
In 2005, extensive site reclamation of The Atrium@MIP began under the watchful eye of Lintack Architects. Immediately, the mechanical and electrical systems were replaced to increase energy efficiency throughout the entire superstructure. Then, interior partitions were removed to adjust to the new layout, providing better accommodation for a multitude of new offices and the addition of three new elevators.
At the same time, advanced energy efficient and cosmetic upgrades were applied to the exterior of the edifice. Modern insulation, state-of-the-art windows, and an R valve roof coupled with two L-shaped aluminum clad canopies flanking the entrance provide a necessarily contemporary component to the sweeping facelift performed.
Leading the way, the Atrium@MIP was a rewarding project that may provide important lessons to further generations of reuse pending on various uninhabited yet promising sites in Hamilton. These idle but auspicious locations represent the spirit of Hamilton, centralized in an ambitious city and the history it carries forward.
Filed under Architecture
I HEART HAMILTON HOSTS “THE PLAYLIST 3.0” AT THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD ON SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH TO BENEFIT FOOD4KIDS
I Heart Hamilton celebrates its third anniversary with The Playlist 3.0 (Fundraiser for Food4Kids) at This Ain’t Hollywood on Saturday, June 7th, 2014.
The Playlist 3.0 features performances by l electronic duo Allosaurus, hip hop-infused jazz quartet Haolin Munk, the debut of The Tallest Tree (new project from Dawn and Marra), groovy pop- rockers Hands & Teeth, and eclectic indie band The Medicine Hat.
All media are welcome and photo and video opportunities are available. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available at This Ain’t Hollywood (345 James Street North), Dr. Disc (20 Wilson Street), and Cheapies (67 King Street East). Tickets are $12 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the event is 19+.
For more information about Food4Kids: www.food4kids.ca
Filed under Entertainment
Rebuild Hamilton 