Tag Archives: Lister Block

May 6, 2016 · 4:48 pm

20 buildings that make Hamilton so great

1) Yeah, I’d say the Lister Block is pretty damn awesome. The white terracotta and brown brick make it look like an edible piece of cake.

2) The Medical Arts building is a work of art. How awesome are those urns?

3) Stanley Roscoe’s City Hall. A building too beautiful for bureaucracy.

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4) The brutalist Hamilton Place. A gothic-inspired fortress on the exterior. A visually and acoustically masterful interior.

5) Treble Hall: A facade that makes you stop and stare. Also, can you say Wine Bar?

6) The city’s first and best Skyscraper, the Pigott Building. Anybody want to split on a penthouse?

7) Stelco Tower might be rusty (thanks to stelcoloy), but it is still one badass building.

8) It might be a copycat. Honestly though, who cares? The Landed Banking and Loan Company Building is one special piece of architecture.

9) The Right House is more than just alright. It’s allllll right (bad joke).

10) The Hamilton Public Library Central Branch and The Farmers Market. Books and Food. Concrete and glass. Nuff said.

11) We have a freaking castle. (Dundurn Castle)

12) A FREAKING CASTLE.

13) OH HEY LOOK IT’S ANOTHER CASTLE. (Scottish Rite)

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14) We all have a love/hate for the city’s tallest building, 100 Main.

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15) All white Victoria Hall. A facade that makes you happy.

16) The Royal Connaught. A lobby suitable for Royalty. We won’t talk about the rest of the development though.

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17) Can we please get this building designated? (The Coppley Building)

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18) The TH&B Go Station: An Art Dec(G)o beauty.

19) Liuna Station is perfect. Look at the garden. Look at those columns. The curtains inside the halls? Versace.

20) Let’s just admire this for a second. (Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King)

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Tagged as #HamOnt, #heritage, 100 main, Architecure, buzzfeed, christ the king, City Hall, Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, hamilton go, Hamilton Place, Lister Block, photography, Rebuild Hamilton, Royal Connaught, scottish right, the coppley building, the landed banking and loan company building, the pigott building, Treble Hall, Victoria Hall

November 1, 2014 · 1:47 pm

Architectural Spotlight: The Lister Block

At the corner of James Street North and King William sits the Lister Block (or Lady Lister). Once neglected, the mid-rise commercial building has been brought back to life with a vibrancy that expresses Hamilton’s ambition.

Completed in 1924, the current Lister Block was erected on the grounds of the old Lister Chambers, built by Joseph Lister in 1886, which was demolished due to a fire in 1923. The building closed its doors in 1995 after decades of vacancy, neglect, and sprawling development.

LiUNA bought the Lister Block back in 1999, letting it sit vacant for over a decade. In 2010, LiUNA and Hi-Rise Group began to renovate the building at the cost of $25 million, with a $7 million contribution from the province. The renovation was completed in early 2011.

Designed by architect Bernard Prack and constructed by the Pigott Construction Company, the six-storey Classical Renaissance building references the highly influential work of Chicago’s “father of the skyscraper”, Louis Sullivan.

At street level, the first two floors are composed of off-white terracotta, complete with pilasters and Corinthian capitals, a projecting cornice, and a frieze design consisting of cartouches. Bay windows compliment the terracotta, while copper detailing and leaded transoms add visual weight to a light composition.

The upper stories consist of a contrasting dark red brick, with double-hung windows, and copper alloy spandrels. Heavy fenestration and spandrels make the brick stand out, creating a vertical emphasis in a Sullivanesque fashion. The building is crowned with a projecting terracotta cornice adorned with organic ornamentation, creating the metaphorical “icing on the cake.”

Inside, the arcade is complete with terrazzo tiles, wood framed storefronts, arched ceilings with crown molding, and detailed skylights that provide ample natural lighting. The upper floors have been renovated to accommodate offices for the city.

Although initially marred in controversy over its neglect, Lister Block has been brought back from near extinction. The restoration of this significant piece of Hamilton heritage has made Lister Block a shining beacon of urban renewal.

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Tagged as #architecture, #heritage, #history, ambition, Bernard Prack, Classical Revival, Hamilton, HiRise, James street, Lady Lister, Lister Block, LiUNA, Louis Sullivan, photography, Pigott Construction, renewal, terracotta

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PHOTO OF THE DAY – June 6th

Lister Block – 28-50 James St N, Hamilton

Changes coming to Gore Park

Call it the end of an era, a new chapter, or a failure. No matter what you call it, change is coming to Gore Park.

As of January 9^th, developer Wilson Blanchard was cleared by City Council for the demolition of 18-28 King Street East – a series of four row houses on the south side of Gore Park – to make room for a mixed-use condominium development. However, after community opposition, Blanchard has decided to withdraw his application to demolish all but two of the buildings. But was this a fair compromise?

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These four Victorian-era row houses were erected between 1840 and 1875. Renowned architect William Thomas (famous for St. Lawrence Hall in Toronto) designed the three-storey buildings, 18 and 22 King Street (which Blanchard plans to keep). The buildings facades, with intricately designed cornices and arcade-style windows, are still intact.

All four historical buildings, however, should have been designated as heritage buildings by Heritage Canada, which would prevent them from being demolished.

The City of Hamilton’s Heritage Committee’s track record for preserving buildings is far from flattering. In 2006, the Province had to step in and save the Lister Block after it was slated for demolition. If it weren’t for community outcry, all four buildings – instead of two – would currently be under the wrecking ball.

These row houses, sometimes referred to as “streetwalls”, are integral to the streetscape of Gore Park – the city’s Civic Square.

The rows of these attached structures simulate continuity, essentially enclosing the square, therefore defining the space for the activities Gore Park can host. Like the Gore Park Master Plan – a pedestrian-friendly plaza closed off from traffic.

However, the outcome isn’t all that bad. Artist renderings released by the developer reveal the infill of buildings at a three-storey height beside what would be the two remaining buildings, as well as taller mixed-use buildings superimposed into the adjacent parking lot that sits idle.

Another positive outcome from this compromise is the active role the community played in shaping their city’s future development. This role is an important element in achieving a sustainable city.

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Filed under Architecture, Development, Economy, Heritage, History

Tagged as #community, #HamOnt, #heritage, Blanchard, city, City Council, City of Hamilton, Civic Square, council, Development, Gore Park, Gore Park Master Plan, Hamilton, King Street, Lister Block, Province, St. Lawrence Hall, sustainable, Victorian