[SteelTown]

Stinson's got his eye on Stinson for development

October 27, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator

Stinson Street School's farewell party had many highlights: the memories of former students, 100-year-old slates to sign, an attic as big as a barn with 94-year-old graffiti, and a question.

What next?

Its mahogany doors opened in 1895 near Wentworth Street South. It's slated to close at Christmas, as its kids go to the new Queen Victoria elementary school nearby.

Hamilton public school board director of education Chris Spence said a sale of the property will take months. It has to be offered to public bodies like the city. Then developers get a crack.

And that's why Saturday's party had a special guest.

Developer Harry Stinson, nondescript in an army-style jacket with pockets, toured a building he says is unlike any you can buy in Toronto. He's thinking condos, but isn't making any decisions yet.

"It's the name on the front of the building, that's what it is," he jokes, about the metal "Stinson School" letters on the school's brick that peek through conifers to the street.

The developer doesn't know if he's related to the schools namesake.

"To me the building has all the elements of The Candy Factory" -- Stinson's famous Toronto loft project hailed for its jaw-dropping industrial architecture.

Anyone who walks by is stunned by the beauty of the school and the view of the escarpment, he says. And it's down the street (1.6 km) from the GO station, he adds.

"You are surrounded by a mixed bag of housing, but clearly, at some point, grand homes," adds Stinson, who lives in Hamilton, and failed to secure financing for his $9.5-million offer on the Royal Connaught.

At the school he'll have to ensure the costs of repair and condo conversion don't match the cost units can sell for. He admits this part of the city has challenges but is not impossible.

One thing he is cautious about is its layout: The classrooms (7.6 m by 10 m) may be too small to split into two units, yet too large to sell as singles. The original building has five classrooms built for 50 students on floors one and two, which open onto expansive foyers.

Barbara Sikora, 80, recalls attending Stinson for kindergarten in 1933, and learning how to count using coloured sticks.

"I only got the strap once, one on each hand, and it stung... (for) talking I guess," says Sikora, who hopes the school will become residences.

Caretaker John Lane says whoever buys it needs to invest. The boiler is on its last legs; a 1914 addition to the south would require a second elevator. The gym is from 1959, the library from 1978.

John Aikman, who runs the public school board archives, said one idea may be to use Stinson as home to the archives now at former Vincent Massey school on the Mountain. Aikman, who attended kindergarten at Stinson in 1947, said it will require a lot of work even if it's not converted to condos. A tree is growing out of the front of the school's brick wall; a window in the uninsulated attic is broken; it's not as easy to heat a building as it was in the days of cheap coal.

The building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, so it's more difficult for an owner to alter.

[raisethehammer]

haha...hey, I called this a few months back. Why not? Stinson buy Stinson. I'd rather have him do it then some group of jokers like the stiffs who butchered the old Spec warehouse on King William.

[adam]

I love going through that area of town... lots of potential!

[coalminecanary]

i want brock to move there from the briarwood school.

[BrianE]

I think there's a 50/50 chance that this school will sit empty for quite a few years until all of a sudden there's a ton of young families moving to South of Main St. demanding that Stinson be reopened.

Anybody want to bet?

[FairHamilton]

I think there's a 50/50 chance that this school will sit empty for quite a few years until all of a sudden there's a ton of young families moving to South of Main St. demanding that Stinson be reopened.

Anybody want to bet?

I'd take that bet. They've already built a replacement school for Stinson, so there would have to be a big, big uptick in families with young kids.

As much as I'd like to see that happen I can't see that big an uptick.

[vid]

Living in the school you went to is very popular.

A similar development here, however, was quashed by NIMBYs, who wanted the building to remain vacant so that they could use the vacant land as a "park". They didn't understand that the developer requested only half of the land (the part with the school on it) as part of his development, the rest would be the city's property.

How big is the school? Any pictures?

[SteelTown]

photo from flar......
Stinson School
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/stinson3/00062.jpg

From Stinson phototour
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=153938

[hmagazine]

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57

[raisethehammer]

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57

I only wish.
We used to go there all the time in Portland. The place was awesome.
I think there are 2 or 3 locations in Portland, all in old schools. Very cool and great for urban neighbourhoods losing a school.
Hamilton always seems to get stuck with vinyl townhomes or nothing.

[Jon Dalton]

A microbrew would great for this building and location. Hamilton does not have any as far as I know. Pretty sad for a city our size.

[omro]

Hamilton does not have any as far as I know. Pretty sad for a city our size.

A Hamilton motto...

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

The Stinson neighbourhood was named after a Thomas Stinson who, according to the Dictionary of Hamilton Biography was a merchant, banker, landowner. He was an extensive landowner in not only in Hamilton but as well as Chicago, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Superior City, Wisconsin, a city which he named. The Stinson neighbourhood is bounded by Main Street East (north), Charlton Avenue East (south), Victoria Avenue South (west) and Wentworth Street South (east). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church.

I wonder if Harry Stinson is related?

[Indescribable]

I was wondering what this thread could possibly be about. Now I know. :)

[bornagainbiking]

Stinson unveils new Hamilton condo project
Paul Tipple
5/18/2009

Local developer Harry Stinson has another project in the works.

He is proposing to turn the former Stinson Street Junior Public School into loft condominiums.

The school on Stinson Street was originally built in 1864 and closed last year.

Stinson says his offer to purchase the building has been accepted by the Hamilton Public School Board, but he's still waiting for the deal to close.


Hey it worked for Allenby School just off Locke Street!

[Millstone]

"Stinson" count: 6

[rdaner]

Pix by Flar on SSP:


http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/stinson3/00062.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/stinson/00058.jpg

[SteelTown]

It's a lovely building.

[ryan_mcgreal]

^The Allenby lofts are really nice.

[Hammer Native]

There is an old historical building, probably former industrial, on Alanson Street which was turned into lofts years ago. Not a big building but I think the project went off successfully. I think they were built in the late 80's to mid 90's I can't quite remember. Anyway it likely shows there is a market for lofts in that area, and those are backing on to the tracks.

[realcity]

It's awesome that it's named "Stinson" already

[emge]

There is an old historical building, probably former industrial, on Alanson Street which was turned into lofts years ago. Not a big building but I think the project went off successfully. I think they were built in the late 80's to mid 90's I can't quite remember. Anyway it likely shows there is a market for lofts in that area, and those are backing on to the tracks.

I kept an eye out for this today - never even really noticed it before. It seems like a nice building though. You kind of have to look for it, it blends in very well.

I don't believe anyone's posted this article re: the Stinson lofts yet.

From classes to condos for Stinson
PAUL WILSON
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 20, 2009)


Harry's done it again, got himself another big project. He just couldn't say no.

This time it's the enormous 1890s Stinson School. He says he's going to turn it into condos and he sure won't be changing the name.
Harry Stinson strode into this town from Toronto a couple of years ago and hasn't been out of the news since.

Jim Balsillie wants to give us a hockey team, and Stinson wants to give us condos.

First it was a massive redo of the Royal Connaught, with a thousand-foot needle-shaped condo tower.

He just couldn't pull the money together for that one, but soon announced The Hamilton Grand, a condo-hotel project to be carved out of an old building on John, just south of King.

Then, last month, another press conference. Forget the old Grand, Stinson said, and here's the new one. He says a 13-storey structure will soon start to rise on the site of a former Shell station at Main and John.

And now, after giving the school board a six-figure deposit, he's weeks away from closing on the purchase of the Stinson School.

Is he taking on too much? "I did wrestle with that before putting in the bid," he says. "But not a lot of 120-year-old schools called Stinson will be coming up for sale. I couldn't not take a shot at it.

"And I'm actually qualified to do this. I've done it before."

He's talking about a 1993 project called the Candy Factory. A few years ago, Toronto Life magazine declared Stinson's launch of the loft revolution one of "10 moments that profoundly changed life in Toronto."

He went into Queen West, a marginal neighbourhood then. To the amazement of many, he turned the old five-storey, block-long Ce De Candy Company into 121 lofts that sold in a flash.

Stinson School is a cut above any old candy company building. Architect Alfred Peene, also responsible for Hamilton's Carnegie Library, designed an impressive structure. He used brick and brown Credit Valley stone. He put slate on the roof, of course, and it's still in place.

Inside, the gleaming wood floors, soaring ceilings, generous windows, handsome wainscotting are all still there.

But the kids aren't. At the peak, about 700 students attended Stinson. That had fallen to 265.

The end came at March break, when those kids hiked off to the new Queen Victoria school.

Plywood went up on the windows and the board took offers. Stinson won't say what his winning bid is until the deal closes. Neither will the school board. But $750,000 is probably not far off.

Some wonder if the location is right. It's not the west end, where a developer could charge top dollar for the condos.

But Stinson likes it fine here, just west of Wentworth. "We're standing at the foot of the escarpment. The stairs are right there. The Bruce Trail, too. You can walk to the GO train in 15 or 20 minutes."

Stinson School is surrounded by old homes, some grand, many well cared for.

Stinson thinks this project is big enough to kick-start improvements to the whole neighbourhood, just as the Candy Factory did.

On this day, he's brought two architects from a Toronto firm called Icon to the site. He's worked with them before. They shoot hundreds of photos of the school, inside and out.

"I'm not worried about sales at this project," Stinson says. "The challenge is the design and construction.

"This will be a Rubik's cube. Every unit will have to be planned one by one. That's why we're taking all these pictures, measuring again and again."

Stinson has a meeting at City Hall today to discuss the approvals process.

He thinks there's the potential for 100 units, selling for an average of $250,000. There would be 30 in a stacked townhouse at the south end of the property, plus 35 units in each of the two buildings that make up Stinson School.

He talks of balconies cut into the roof, a Victorian greenhouse for the premier suite, exposed brick, a glass galleria, cobblestone and globe lights around the entire block.

He estimates construction costs at $10 million and says the money to get started is in place.

"I've been out here measuring and neighbours keep coming by," Stinson says.

"Time and time again they say, 'We hope you get started right away. We don't want another Lister Block.'"

StreetBeat appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
pwilson@thespec.com
905-526-3391

[calvinkool]

I would like to see Stinson begin construction on the Grand before he gets into this school renovation. He hasn't even updated his website with the new address of the project yet, it all seems a bit half assed to me.

[BCTed]

I would like to see Stinson begin construction on the Grand before he gets into this school renovation. He hasn't even updated his website with the new address of the project yet, it all seems a bit half assed to me.

That it seems half-assed is no big surprise.

[BrianE]

This is also a heritage building. So maybe cutting into the roofs to make balcony's may not fly. There is at least some hope that heritage elements will be kept and improved upon given his previous projects.

[realcity]

friggin the new Queen Vic school looks like a prison. Why is every building replaced with a crappier one in this city. That new library/cop station that the City loves on Rymal and Upper Nowhere, looks like crud too.

Nothing should be one story. If they built a second floor at least it could've been a gathering hall for the public. It didn't necessarily have to be library use. But they said it's for 'accessibility' (one floor), please. This city hasn't heard of elevators?

Off topic...

good for Stinson. He's the only one plugging away at it in the City.

[FRM]

i'm happy to hear he has money in place to get this one started, unlike his other projects so far which always end up short on cash.

[crhayes]

I'm happy to see that this article actually had a positive tone rather than a negative one... that's pretty odd coming from the spec :rolleyes:

[SteelTown]

That's because Paul Wilson wrote it.

[matt602]

Off topic but I think the new Prince of Whales school actually looks pretty good for a new school. They incorporated some classic design elements and there is some very modern touches to the building. I like it.

Back on topic, I'm not so certain that I like any idea that involves altering the roof of the Stinson school. I think that is one of it's most defining features.

[realcity]

"pretty good for a new school" is not much of a compliment....

i'm going to take a pic of the school yard and photoshop in some bench-presses and tell me it won't look like a prison yard.

I'm just saying the old Queen Vic looked more interesting and unique a building. It had a distinct international design, whereby this new bldg is non-design.

I agree. the Stinson School roof is awesome. Defining character indeed.

[SteelTown]

Stinson was on CHCH News. From what I got....

70 condo units
18 months to complete
$200,000 starting price

[thistleclub]

http://www.stinsonschool.com

Less interested in the fact that "There would be 30 in a stacked townhouse at the south end of the property." Sounds like a concession to the suburban partners.

[matt602]

Does he actually own the property yet?

[SteelTown]

School purchase puts Stinson on Stinson

July 03, 2009
Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/593670

Harry Stinson's newest plan is much closer to the ground than his first.

The developer who once proposed joining the Royal Connaught Hotel to a glass spire three times higher than the Niagara Escarpment has bought the former Stinson School to turn it into condominiums. Naturally, he's keeping the name.

Stinson closed the deal with Hamilton's public school board Tuesday, after his bid of $1.05 million came in at the top of the pile.

He calls the purchase a bargain, given that it covers an entire city block and includes two heritage buildings with high ceilings, tall windows, thick walls and hardwood floors.

"You cannot buy the ambience of those buildings," he said. "You couldn't replace them."

He plans to build 70 suites in the school buildings and add townhouses where the school yard is today. The units would range from 900 to 1,500 square feet and sell for $200,000 to about $350,000.

The 1890s school -- west of Wentworth Street at the foot of the escarpment -- closed in March. Stinson said it could re-open as residences 18 to 24 months from now.

He said he plans to start work within weeks, and to open a sales office at the site next month. He said he has private financing for the purchase and expects investors to finance about $10 million in construction.

Meanwhile, he said he is continuing with plans for the Hamilton Grand, a 13-storey condo-hotel at Main and John streets.

Stinson made a name for himself in Toronto as a creative and sometimes controversial property developer before coming to Hamilton last year.

He was the force behind the Candy Factory lofts on Queen Street West, a 1990s conversion project widely viewed as a catalyst for improving the entire neighbourhood.

He said the Stinson School project could do the same here.

"The neighbourhood is at a stage where it could go either way. It could become the new neighbourhood or it could flounder," Stinson said. "I think the neighbourhood will now become an address."

[SteelTown]

Stinson has bold plans for school

July 24, 2009
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/605926

In a former classroom and a future condo, developer Harry Stinson talked to neighbours about his transformation of the Stinson Street School last night.

He laid out his vision for the redevelopment of the historic elementary school just west of Wentworth Street: 50 to 60 condo units, 10 to 12 low-rise townhouses, on-site parking for each unit, extensive landscaping and gardens, preservation of the exterior and much of the interior features and suites in the attic, with 24-foot ceilings.

He said the development will be done right, joking that his name will forever be attached to it.

Stinson hopes to have the project, pegged at about $10 million, finished in 18 to 24 months. He said architects are currently mapping the building. Each condo unit will have to be designed individually because the classrooms are of different sizes and shapes and have varying numbers of windows.

"We have to go room by room, window by window and floor by floor to see what we've got here ... The walls are two to three feet thick so we are not going to be moving them."

The front portion of Stinson school was built in 1895. A twin building was added in the 1920s. The building is historically designated. The Hamilton school board closed the school in March and Stinson won the building in a bidding process, paying $1.05 million. The sale closed June 30.

The financing behind him is all private, says Stinson.

Brian Goodman, president of the Stinson Community Association, said almost all residents he talks to are excited about Stinson's vision. "It's going to represent the new beginning that Stinson is already showing."

Stinson plans to open a sales office on the site in the next few weeks and is in the process of hiring a superintendent to make sure the now-vacant building is kept up and secure from vandals.

Project plans include keeping the impressive entry hallway, hardwood floors and staircase, retaining existing blackboards and wainscotting where possible, replacing the heavily damaged slate roof and keeping the gym and playground.

The units will start at about 1,000 square feet and will sell for between $200,000 and $500,000. Stinson rejects warnings that's a high price for Hamilton, especially for that neighbourhood. He says when he moved here a couple of years ago, he couldn't find a decent condo to buy.

"There is a massive gap here ... I think we can prove there is an appetite for interesting, exciting downtown living."

Stinson believes the Stinson project will be a catalyst for the neighbourhood, much like his celebrated Candy Factory Lofts development on Queen Street West in Toronto.

Realtor Augie Ammendolia believes the units will sell. "This area is Hamilton's Cabbagetown ... The architectural beauty of the homes in this area rivals the Aberdeen and Herkimer area but at 40 to 60 per cent less."

A recurring concern of the meeting was that an influx of condo dwellers will choke street parking. Stinson stressed that there will be at least one parking spot for each unit, plus visitors parking.

[Jon Dalton]

That reminds me of long 'article' in the saturday spec a year ago about the connaught tower. It hyped it up but said nothing that hadn't been reported weeks or months ago. To me that's bad news.

[drpgq]

Lofty visions: The return of Harry Stinson

Toronto's failed condo king is rising from the ashes and betting millions the time is right to introduce trendy living to Steeltown
Jul 31, 2009 04:30 AM
Be the first to comment on this article...
Tony Wong
Business Reporter

Hamilton–Harry Stinson stands underneath a massive sign stencilled on brick, bearing his name.

"When they first told me about this place, I thought they were joking," Stinson says. "This is pretty weird. Even the street has my name on it."

Stinson's latest project is a former elementary school in downtown Hamilton. Built in 1895, the elegant building is historically designated. And, as fate would have it, it has his name on it.

Stinson doesn't know if the founder of the school, Ebenezer Stinson, is any relation. The Hamilton school board closed the school in March. With the help of private investors, he paid $1.05 million for the building in a deal that closed in June.

Toronto's once visionary condo king is now the would-be condo king of Steeltown, an industrial city that is the eighth largest in Canada.

The Stinson School project is Harry Stinson's chance to rise from the ashes.

After the Star first revealed in 2007 that Stinson had placed his landmark 1 King West hotel and condominium in receivership, things started to unravel pretty quickly.

After a bruising and controversial court battle with theatre impresario and former partner David Mirvish, Stinson relocated to Hamilton last year. He had considered Miami, Montreal and New York.

But in Hamilton he spotted a void. And it seems he is getting some Hamiltonians to buy into his vision.

"Harry's bought a positive new set of eyes to the city, he's got people excited," says Bob Bratina, the councillor for downtown Hamilton. "I think sometimes we suffer from a lack of self-esteem, that we sometimes need someone who sees value in things you might overlook."

No one has personified the fortunes of the Toronto condo market more than Stinson. He was pushing loft living in Toronto before most people knew that living in an industrial building with concrete floors could be cool. He was the first to build a condo hotel in Toronto.

As he charges through the school, scurrying from boiler room to classroom, Stinson cracks a distinctly Dickensian image. He fits in with the Gothic bones of the school, a kind of Tim Burton doll come to life. The excitable developer is pushing the envelope in his new hometown.

For one thing, no one has sold lofts in Hamilton for $600,000. That's the price for the penthouse. But smaller units will start at $250,000. That's still a good bit of change for a city where you can get a century-old home on a big lot for under $300,000.

He envisions 70 lofts and townhomes on the 1.5-acre lot that houses two 30,000-square-foot buildings.

"It's not the price," insists Stinson. "It's the lack of having something unique that people can move to. Most people think Hamilton is still this grimy industrial town. But there is also a huge industry of people in technology and health-care services and in academia."

Stinson admits that, as in Toronto, his ideas have been met with some skepticism.

His name has been associated with failure as much as success. His first idea for building in Hamilton, taking over the Royal Connaught Hotel and turning it into condos, failed to find financing during the credit crunch last year.

"There are always the naysayers, guys who say (Jim) Balsillie will never get a hockey team or Stinson will never build," says Bratina.

"But really, it's great to see people who appreciate what we have. There aren't a lot of guys like Harry who have the experience of developing in tight urban settings. We have urban sprawl because it's a lot easier to buy a farm and put up a subdivision."

Hamilton's downtown is more known for cheque-cashing centres and Tim Hortons' outlets than for trendy boutiques and restaurants. The city wants to change that image.

When Ron Marini, Hamilton's director of downtown and community renewal, lived in the city's core during the 1970s, he remembers "shoulder to shoulder" traffic during lunchtime.

Over the years, the core started to hollow. Manufacturing began to decline, affecting employment in the city. Meanwhile, suburban sprawl became the norm. "It became something of a ghost town," Marini says.

"We don't see intensification as a problem. We see it as an opportunity. Our biggest challenge is to make people feel comfortable walking and living downtown again."

That was the refrain in Toronto when Stinson started the Candy Factory Lofts on Queen St. in the early 1990s. It started a loft revolution that Toronto Life magazine declared one of the "10 moments that profoundly changed life in Toronto."

Hamilton today isn't so different than Toronto 20 years ago, Stinson says.

Some investors in Hamilton have been wary of Stinson's reputation. But the biggest knock against him has been that his reach has often seemed to exceed his grasp. Stinson is also marketing another project, the Hamilton Grand, a 177-suite condo hotel downtown. But nothing is quite as symbolic as the Stinson School.

So far, he seems to at least have the approval of his neighbours. When he mows the vast lawn outside the school, they will frequently come up to him to talk.

"I think he's doing a good thing," says former Torontonian Elizabeth Court, who lives across the street from the school.

Court, whose children used to go to the school, says the area could use some gentrification. She has had her car stolen from her driveway and has found knives on her porch.

Toronto, Court says, may not need Stinson. "But Hamilton sure does."

[matt602]

Random fact:

Harry Stinson goes jogging at 2am along Stinson St. I saw it with my own eyes last night.

[SteelTown]

Join Haunted Hamilton for a Ghost Hunt at Stinson School!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Tickets very limited!
Get yours today by going to
www.hauntedhamilton.com

YvJv1YDVcLE

[matt602]

Oh geez, what a freaking joke.

[FairHamilton]

^Do you really think so? Because, I think it's a great way to bring people out to areas & buildings they wouldn't normally get to see in an organized fashion.

A few weeks ago we took the Downtown Hamilton Ghost Walk and based on that tour, I have nothing but good things to say about the tour and the organizers.

IMO, Hamilton needs more people/organizations like this that allow people to engage both downtown sites & neighbourhoods. If a 'hook' (i.e. haunted) needs to employed so be it.

[BrianE]

I can appreciate the opportunities this might give people to see some interesting history and architecture.

I'm more saddened by the incredulous nature of Haunted Hamilton and the other related ghost walk groups and T.V. shows. The bar for evidence of the paranormal with these groups is about ankle high.

[matt602]

I'm all for exposure to Hamilton's architectural and cultural gems too but I also stand by what I said.

[adam]

I have been to a Haunted Hamilton event.. They aren't over the top and don't take themselves terribly seriously. Has anyone else who commented in this thread been to one of their events?

[markbarbera]

^Do you really think so? Because, I think it's a great way to bring people out to areas & buildings they wouldn't normally get to see in an organized fashion.

A few weeks ago we took the Downtown Hamilton Ghost Walk and based on that tour, I have nothing but good things to say about the tour and the organizers.

IMO, Hamilton needs more people/organizations like this that allow people to engage both downtown sites & neighbourhoods. If a 'hook' (i.e. haunted) needs to employed so be it.

IMO, Doors Open Hamilton is the ideal opportunity to see these kinds of buildings, without employing a 'hook' - or a fee. You get free access to a whole slate of historical sites and heritage buildings without having to endure cheesy ghost stories.

A couple years back I did a haunted tour of Stoney Creek Battlefield Park. While it was neat to see the buildings by torchlight at night, I was really embarassed for the 'guides' who had to share some really lame tales of alleged haunts on the site. I was really distracted by one guide telling the group about some criminal who was "hung". Proper grammar requires one to say that people are hanged, not hung - assuming of course that the guide was indeed describing a method of execution...

[realcity]

hung when it should be hanged bugs me too.

Here's another, is it a sawn-off or a sawed-off shotgun?

[FairHamilton]

IMO, Doors Open Hamilton is the ideal opportunity to see these kinds of buildings, without employing a 'hook' - or a fee. You get free access to a whole slate of historical sites and heritage buildings without having to endure cheesy ghost stories.

That's okay, you don't need to like it. I just think bring large groups (20+) of people who are spending money into the downtown area at night is a good thing. I guess that's just me.

Also, there certainly wasn't a 'whole slate' of historical sites at Doors Open 2009.

Looking at the downtown area most were churches (5 of 8 locations) that are generally open to the public (i.e. Religious Services), then Whitehern (a public museum), AGH (another public building), and finally the Player's Guild played on a ghost story, A murder in 1876... the killer's hanging two months later. Rumours of a ghost in the costume room... Funny that.

[markbarbera]

That's okay, you don't need to like it. I just think bring large groups (20+) of people who are spending money into the downtown area at night is a good thing. I guess that's just me.

While I'll applaud the sentiment, taking a group on a ghost hunt at Stinson School isn't exactly what I'd consider a downtown nightime spending spree.



Also, there certainly wasn't a 'whole slate' of historical sites at Doors Open 2009.

Looking at the downtown area most were churches (5 of 8 locations) that are generally open to the public (i.e. Religious Services), then Whitehern (a public museum), AGH (another public building), and finally the Player's Guild played on a ghost story, A murder in 1876... the killer's hanging two months later. Rumours of a ghost in the costume room... Funny that.

As you know from viewing their website, there were 22 sites made available across the city in last year's Doors Open Hamilton. While funding cutbacks required them to halve the amount of available sites, in my books they still provided a pretty full slate of interesting sites of historical significance. And, for the record, the Player's Guild tour did not involve a ghost hunt. At least not when I was there.

[matt602]

I'm simply against charging people a fee to hear a bunch of bullshit stories about old and abandoned buildings. My friend actually got kicked off the tour because he debunked one of their haunting stories about the Connaught (no documented history of anybody ever dying there, no documented stories of hauntings, never seen anything in there since the place was abandoned). The tour guide was a complete jerk about it. They seem to have an idiotic story about someone dying or getting hanged in every old or beaten up building downtown. It's beyond ridiculous and it's teaching people a flawed history of our downtown.

As Mark said, Doors Open and other architecture walks/tours that don't even charge a fee at all are much more respectable, at least to me.

[adam]

Haunted Hamilton puts on events that are meant to be entertaining and fun. I don't think they ever claimed to be a definitive historical source of information. If you want to learn about the history of Hamilton, there is the library or perhaps a historical society? Many people enjoy their events. It is certainly a lot more fulfilling than another night sitting in front of the TV, isn't it?

[SteelTown]

Ghost hunters scour Stinson School
Last chance before it becomes condo complex

August 17, 2009
Dana Brown
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/619419

They were searching for spirits long rumoured to be wandering in the nooks and crevices of Stinson Street School.

At times during their hunt, pendulums swung, spirit boards brought communications, and sensitive bodies felt the presence of spirits.

At other times, not so much.

Armed with a cache of ghost-seeking tools they could take turns using, about 140 people took part in Haunted Hamilton's ghost hunt at the old school Saturday night.

It was the last chance for curious spirit seekers to explore the building before it's turned into trendy new lofts by developer Harry Stinson.

Stinson himself stayed out of the spirit debate but said he has been told by lots of people about the building's hauntings.

"Are there strange noises?" Stinson asks. "Well, this is 60,000 square feet of space, all wood construction -- of course there's noises."

But neither noises nor the disturbed bats that began flying overhead on more than one floor could faze the spirit seekers.

Ghost hunters, many with cameras in hand, wandered off in small groups to explore the century-old building, much of which had been plunged into darkness for the event.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Hamiltonian Lynda Head, 56.

"We're not going to get in here again."

Head brought one of her own pendulums, which apparently swings to detect the presence of a spirit, to explore the building.

She said she detected a spirit in the attic and in the office of the headmistress.

Some believe the building is occupied by several spirits, including a janitor who putters around the boiler room, a librarian and the headmistress.

Some of the tools people could use included electromagnetic-field detectors, parabolic microphones to amplify hearing, and compasses and thermometers.

Kate Kingston, resident psychic with Haunted Hamilton, said people's interests have been reawakened with a changing world energy and so much uncertainty.

"It's reopened an interest in the paranormal," she said.

In the attic, one of the Haunted Hamilton team felt like she was hit in the back in the neck and several others felt different sensations during their walk-through.

The building remains the perfect picture of an aging school. Some windows are boarded-up outside, and inside the acrid stench of layers of dirt and grime cooked over the years cling to the attic and basement, making every breath heavy.

Classrooms appear eerie and isolated in the dark, some strewn with props and other materials. It's a child's nightmare of a classroom gone wrong.

During the search, a couple of ghost hunters announced they had succeeded in communicating through a spirit board, commonly called a Ouija board.

But Haunted Hamilton investigators' attempt to try to connect with a spirit in the former kindergarten classroom was not apparently successful, although a few came up with a similar name for a possible spirit they said was present.

The digital recording of the effort could still turn up something.

Before the attempt, Kingston said they could not get sound or voices during the search because there was too much movement in the building, along with additional energy.

A seance in the library at the end of the night also apparently failed to communicate with spirits.

[SteelTown]

I would like to invite you to the official Preview Reception for the Stinson School Lofts, on Thursday September 17th, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 200 Stinson Street (Hamilton). At this time, we will be unveiling the comprehensive development plans for this significant, full-block site, as well as the unique features and amenities of the building. Every suite in the Stinson School Lofts is distinctive, and no other project can offer the extraordinary combination of century-old architecture, geographic drama, and hands-on, passionate attention to detail by the development team.

Public Sales will commence on Sunday, September 20th, with a ‘by-invitation’ opportunity to select suites on Saturday, September 19th.

You are welcome to bring guests on September 17th, (but we would greatly appreciate an RSVP, by e-mail or by phone to 289-389-1022, to Adam Schumacher)

We look forward to seeing you on the 17th!

Regards,
Harry Stinson

[SteelTown]

After setbacks, Harry Stinson sets his sights 97 storeys lower

Posted: September 14, 2009, 2:59 PM
by Rob Roberts
By Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2009/09/14/after-setbacks-harry-stinson-sets-his-sights-97-storeys-lower.aspx

Harry Stinson has taken over the teachers' lounge at the Stinson School and hung up renderings of his projects that succeeded or failed: One King West (succeeded, but he lost control) Sapphire Tower on Toronto's Temperance Street (failed), High Park Lofts (succeeded) Hamilton Grand Hotel (failed).

But the development to which Mr. Stinson, 56, compares his latest venture is the one not on the wall: the Candy Factory Lofts, a four-storey factory conversion in the 1990s that arguably launched Toronto's West Queen West as a destination. Today Mr. Stinson, a developer with 50-, 80-and 100-storey ambitions, has come back to earth.

"Perhaps the 100-storey tower was a little flamboyant, but here, people say, 'If you get it together, I'll take one,' '' says Mr. Stinson of his latest project.

Mr. Stinson moved from Toronto to Hamilton in January 2008, after the creditors pushed him out of his job running One King West, a condo hotel anchored in a restored bank. He still owes creditors $17-million to $18-million, which he is working to repay, he says, and is fighting his former partner David Mirvish, the impressario, who is suing Mr. Stinson.

Mr. Stinson's first foray into Hamilton real estate -- a plan to reopen the shuttered Connaught Hotel in the city's decrepit downtown, adding a 100-storey tower --collapsed in the past year when he could not arrange financing.

His latest fixer-upper is his first-ever project with his name on it -- quite by chance. Ebenezer Stinson, a grain and flour merchant in the 1830s, had a Hamilton street named after him. In 1894 on Stinson Street, workers erected the Stinson School, a proud three-storey edifice in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. With its red Credit Valley sandstone, peaked slate roofs and an entrance archway leading to grand wood doors, it looks like a smaller version of Toronto's Old City Hall, and won historical designation in 1989.

At March Break 2009, the Hamilton/Wentworth School Board moved students to a new school nearby; Mr. Stinson, raising $1-million from "friends and family," bought the pile in June. Mr. Stinson's crew has since ripped down the drop ceilings in the entranceway to reveal the full 4.5-metre heights.

Mr. Stinson, dressed in shiny new Brooks running shoes and a black T-shirt from One King West, stopped some workers as we entered the school to speak about spots where the plaster has fallen, revealing the lath on the ceiling.

"Just patch them with pieces of plywood," he says. "We'll just paint it out, because we're running out of time."

A sign on the front lawn here promises, "Lofts from $199,900. Soon to be Hamilton's best address." This Thursday, Mr. Stinson's team plans an open house to show off, and hopefully sell, the 70 suites of this building, including a row of townhouses alongside the school. He has hired some workers from nearby rooming houses, and notes that battered five-bedroom homes here sell for under $200,000, but insists that people will pay over $400,000 for two-bedroom units with walkout gardens.

Mr. Stinson runs hot and cold on Hamilton; the other day he was disgusted to learn that the owners of the Connaught, the hotel he tried to revive, are seeking $18-million from governments to retool the place as affordable housing.

"Everything here depends on government grants," he says. "It's like Newfoundland in Ontario." This slur does a disservice to Newfoundland and perhaps even to Steeltown. With the possibility of an NHL franchise in the air, and crews busy on a dramatic, invasive restoration of the city's modernist jewel of a City Hall, Hamilton has some wind in its sails.

"It is a very family-friendly city," says Drew Hauser, a principal at Stanford Downey architects, who moved his family to Hamilton from Toronto three years ago (and is thrilled that, with Mr. Stinson working here, he has a job near his home). "My wife is a therapist, in two months she was fully booked out. You're a short trip to the vineyard; instead of going to the LCBO you can go to a wine-tasting."

As we are chatting Fred Voytek, a property manager with Effort Trust -- the biggest landlord in Hamilton -- walks in.

"I'm just a curious potential customer," he says. "We have a big house in Burlington. The kids have gone and left." He grew up in Hamilton, and is considering a return. He is encouraged by this project. "Hamilton has suffered from a lack of leadership for so long," he says. "There's no vision."

Hamilton, though on hard times, is a sleeper, full of spectacular architecture. Like many in Hamilton, Mr. Voytek is thrilled that someone sees the potential of his home town. Mr. Stinson is eager to oblige.

"I got nothing to lose," Mr. Stinson says. "So what the hell. I'll give it a shot."

[emge]

He has hired some workers from nearby rooming houses...

Given the context of the paragraph, I'm sure that was intended as a put-down, but that makes me like Stinson even more.



"Hamilton has suffered from a lack of leadership for so long," he says. "There's no vision."


That's pretty much the entire problem with this city. If there's no vision... things die.

[BCTed]

It sounds like this project is being held together by bubble gum and chicken wire. The idea that people would pay $400K for condo units in that area also seems quite far-fetched --- putting it mildly, the neighbourhood is not all that great a place in my opinion.

[markbarbera]

Have you ever entered this neighbourhood? Myself, being a resident of the Stinson neighbourhood, would have to disagree with your opinion. The community, while admitedly still has a few pockets of sketchiness, is generally a well maintained neighbourhood of homes with owners that take genuine interest in the upkeep of their homes and the community as a whole. I would liken it to Cabbagetown in Toronto. While I think the price point is high for these units, this is an extremely attractive building and the units look to be well proportioned.

The Stinson community has been invited by Harry Stinson to have a sneak preview of the model condo and sales office this evening at 7. I hope to make it there and will report back here. The sales office officially opens to the public this weekend.

[BCTed]

Have you ever entered this neighbourhood?

I have.

[markbarbera]

I have.

Please expand. When and where was your visit to our neighbourhood and what was the nature of your visit? Were you just driving through, visiting someone else, or did your live there? How recent was your visit? What experiences did you have that makes you say "putting it mildly, the neighbourhood is not all that great a place".

Frankly, since purchasing my home here I have watched the neighbourhood improve significantly and it is much greater a place than one could notice by 'just passing through'. My home's property value in the six years that have passed has increased by over 50%. Not very many neighbourhoods can boast such an increase in that short a period of time. And, despite your obvious negative bias towards Harry Stinson, he has always been bang on in identifying the up and coming neighbourhoods in a city.

[Jon Dalton]

I was there last night as a friend lives across from the school. All the lights were on and there seemed to be alot of activity in there. I might check it out tonight, just for interests sake.

Stinson is a nice neighbourhood. Of the several houses I've been into in the area all were in fine shape and surprisingly well appointed, easily on par with the average Durand house.

[BCTed]

Please expand. When and where was your visit to our neighbourhood and what was the nature of your visit? Were you just driving through, visiting someone else, or did your live there? How recent was your visit? What experiences did you have that makes you say "putting it mildly, the neighbourhood is not all that great a place".

Frankly, since purchasing my home here I have watched the neighbourhood improve significantly and it is much greater a place than one could notice by 'just passing through'. My home's property value in the six years that have passed has increased by over 50%. Not very many neighbourhoods can boast such an increase in that short a period of time. And, despite your obvious negative bias towards Harry Stinson, he has always been bang on in identifying the up and coming neighbourhoods in a city.

I would much rather not discuss personal experiences on here other than to say that I have neither had a great nor a terrible experience there, but have never gotten anything near a positive vibe. Your quote of my message has conveniently left out the "in my opinion" suffix, which completely changes the tone of what I stated.

However much the neighbourhood may have improved, you have admitted to pockets of sketchiness and even without those, I simply cannot picture many $400K condo sales in that area and you seem to at least partially agree that such pricing is too high.

Once again, I see Stinson having trouble succeeding, although this idea is obviously somewhat more grounded than that 100 story pie-in-the-sky nonsense that a number of people here cheered on.

What are we arguing about?

[Jon Dalton]

$400,000 is the upper end. I think $200,000 could fly and there's going to be more wiggle room here if sales are weak. I don't have 'faith' in this guy by any means but I like his ideas and sincerely hope he gets a win this time.

[Duckyboy]

They're starting at $200K for the lower end, and up to $600K+ for the penthouses (3000sq.ft. and one has a 24 ft. ceiling). I was at the open house last night and it looked really cool. The neat thing is that every unit is totally unique and he is keeing many (or had mentioned, at least) of the original features; like the old chalkboards in the lofts and wainscotting.

I think some of the prices seem a little high for the area, but you never know. We'll see. He seemed REALLY dedicated to the area. This is the second meeting I've been to at the school and there was a decent amount of interest (some are looky-loos, of course).

He and his crew are there everyday; I drive/walk past them on a daily basis and it really seems like they're getting sh!t done there.

I think just about anything that will help raise the bar for the area is a good thing. Lots of people seem to be coming down hard on him for trying to invigorate (sp?) the area... at least he's trying. I don't see anyone else doing anything.

He was talking about possibly getting solar-powered shingles for the roof, which was kind of cool.

I dunno... I see no problem with it. The funny thing is he had mentioned many times how difficult it has been to moveahead with projects in this city (many roadblocks in place), and even at the meetings there were people making a fuss about this or that.

Should be neat to see what some of the finished units will look like upon completion.

-Ryan

[calvinkool]

Stinson is a loser, I wish he would take his lame ideas and legal scandals and go back to Toronto where the garbage he comes up with belongs.

[bornagainbiking]

This is Hamilton, try for some more realistic prices.
Look for starter condos at a fair price. if it goes then go slightly higher on your next venture. Too expensive and this too will fall flat.
This is a beer town not champagne. Working class.:cheers:

[emge]

Nah, I don't buy the "working class" thing. we already have a few starter condo projects for young professionals not making too much, and a few more coming. those who are interested in something bigger from the "working class" (whatever the heck that means anymore) will buy a house.

these are a niche market - geared specifically to people who are making more money and want to live in a more historic neighbourhood in proximity to the downtown with the amenities found in a condo. we don't have much of that.

but the bottom line is that it's a higher-end niche market, not trying to move people who make a limited amount of money into condos.

[Jon Dalton]

Working class now means driving out of town to work a shitty job. It fails as an identity for Hamilton. It worked when there were plenty of factory jobs that paid a living wage, as far as the result of our former prosperity was mostly sprawl.

That said I do agree with lower prices. This is a city where you can buy a decent condo for $50k.

[FRM]

Stinson is a loser, I wish he would take his lame ideas and legal scandals and go back to Toronto where the garbage he comes up with belongs.

yes! we need more developers who need to use taxpayer money to build/renovate buildings!

[SteelTown]

http://www.stinsonschool.com/floorplans_exterior.jpg

[SteelTown]

The model suite

http://www.stinsonschool.com/photos_modelsuite5.jpg

http://www.stinsonschool.com/photos_modelsuite3.jpg

http://www.stinsonschool.com/photos_modelsuite4.jpg

http://www.stinsonschool.com/photos_modelsuite1.jpg

[matt602]

Not bad.

[emge]

Could be better, but looks like higher-quality finishes and a very nice place to live.

It'll do its job though -- I think it'll attract the market it's designed to. Nice detail with the coloured accent wall too.

Though it's relatively minor, I wish they would have gone for some warmer and more detailed doors, or at least door trim. That would make it look much more classic than the builder's white six-panel.... and the kitchen cupboards are situated fairly low for the ceiling height, especially since one's set unevenly a bit higher, and the width of the island isn't very usable on the kitchen side.

Again, just minor details, but ones I'd look at if I was buying something in this price range.

[realcity]

very nice. I like the poster of One King.

[adam]

Big windows and high ceilings will be a huge selling point

[crhayes]

Could be better, but looks like higher-quality finishes and a very nice place to live.

It'll do its job though -- I think it'll attract the market it's designed to. Nice detail with the coloured accent wall too.

Though it's relatively minor, I wish they would have gone for some warmer and more detailed doors, or at least door trim. That would make it look much more classic than the builder's white six-panel.... and the kitchen cupboards are situated fairly low for the ceiling height, especially since one's set unevenly a bit higher, and the width of the island isn't very usable on the kitchen side.

Again, just minor details, but ones I'd look at if I was buying something in this price range.

The cupboards can't be too much higher or many people would need a step stool to use them :P

[emge]

Nah, I'm talking tiny details here, just a four-inch space or so.

It's the difference between the cabinet above the stove and the rest of the cabinets. They offset it probably for visual interest and to define parts of the kitchens,and so they could stick a wine rack in there and perhaps showcase that it could be "display space"

The problem is, you can see the cheap 'eh, we didn't bother to put the same veneer on this' panel of white laminated MDF on that four inches - something that higher-end homebuyers would notice.

Another thing that's often done these days is that a second set of upper cabinets, either regular-size or horizontal ones (which yes, one would need a stepstool to reach) are placed above the regular cabinets. This open-floor-plan one-side kitchen doesn't lend itself too well to that concept, but the ceiling height would certainly accomodate them.

Again, though, a minor detail, but in this price range it can be about minor details, and if I was buying a $350k place, I wouldn't want to see particleboard showcased in the kitchen.

[waterloowarrior]

There is an infomercial for this development on shoptv right now... Promotes Hamilton a lot

[BCTed]

I just had a quick look at the price list at the project Web site at http://stinsonschool.com/prices.html

Some details:

- 60 units for sale
- only one is priced below $250K and that is a studio at $159,900
- median price is $379,900. Mean price is $400,000
- Ten of the units are priced at $599,900 or higher. Six of those are priced at $699,900
- A note at the bottom reads: "Prices subject to change at the developers [sic] discretion.", so the prices are not fixed.

The units seem to be quite large, but I cannot picture many sales at these prices. Also, Harry really needs to get himself a proofreader.

[Blurr]

The site says that there is a heat pump that needs maintenance.

Does anyone know how the building will be heated?

[SteelTown]

http://www.dailywebtv.com/Hamilton/video/13133/Turn-Key-Cool-at-Stinson-School-Lofts-

[realcity]

good reel....

I think this will work well.... not just hope but that it will be what HS needs

[Jon Dalton]

I'm still skeptical about the prices. 1 bedrooms are $150,000 at the Ironstone condos in Burlington. Absolute crap ass location, I know, but it is a location with much higher housing prices than central Hamilton. Also, you can get a nice 2BR condo in an older building in Hamilton for $50,000.

I think the key is the smaller scale of the project. If these units are really as class as they're cracked up to be, maybe he can find a handful of buyers. In a city of half a million in a region of several million, it's not a big stretch to imagine there'd be 50 or so with the means who appreciate the style of this place enough to pay what he's asking.

I should go pay Harry a visit, he's open 7 days a week there. Maybe he'd hire me to help build this thing.

[realcity]

150$ Ironstone condo is 500 sq ft. Stinson School lofts are huge. Watch that video.

As someone who tried buying anything in Durand a few months ago those $50k condos are co-ops. I was surprised to see how many of those buildings in Durand are co-op structured.

They suck because 1. you can't get any financing 2. They're all old people so 3. They have a little granny committee that says who can and can't live in the building and 4. they definitely won't allow you to live there if you have kids.

There's a new building almost at the top of mountain above Stinson School. *Madisson Bldg* that has million dollar condos. At nite I see two top floors have lights on. I assume someone bought those. And those aren't anywhere as cool as Stinsons.

[BCTed]

http://www.dailywebtv.com/Hamilton/video/13133/Turn-Key-Cool-at-Stinson-School-Lofts-

Not surprisingly, this project seems to be changing a fair bit on the fly. Last week, I counted sixty units on the pricing page of the site. This video mentions 48 units. I currently count 54 units on the pricing page.

[BCTed]

There's a new building almost at the top of mountain above Stinson School. *Madisson Bldg* that has million dollar condos. At nite I see two top floors have lights on. I assume someone bought those. And those aren't anywhere as cool as Stinsons.

What about the other eight floors?

[emge]

For million dollar condos in a recession, I think two floors is still pretty good. As we're coming out of the recession, these ones may be even more appealing - especially given some of the terrace sizes, which are over a thousand square feet for a few of them.

These are better value and a lot nicer. I've seen pictures of the Madison ones, and they're nice, but generic, high-end finishes.

[Berklon]

It does seem kind of pricey, although it's not as outrageous when you consider the generous amount of square footage. The condo fees do seem pricey - many of the unit's fees are around $600.

If this buidling were magically about halfway closer to downtown, the pricing would be more justifiable. The neighboorhood it's in isn't terrible by any stretch, but it's nothing great either.

[Millstone]

I'd like to just go in and get a tour of the building; I've never been in.

[matt602]

I'd like to just go in and get a tour of the building; I've never been in.

this.

[bigguy1231]

At the prices these units are going to be selling for, it's going to be a hard sell. Especially when you factor in the condo fees. There's alot out there right now that can be had for a lot less money.

I wish Harry good luck, but I am afraid he has once again misjudged the Hamilton market.

[Berklon]

An article from the Globe and Mail regarding this project:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/harry-stinson-goes-back-to-school/article1387051/

[BrianE]

I was going to comment and say: "Article in the Globe and Mail? Don't you mean Advertisement?" Since most 'Articles' on Harry Stinson are actualy puff pieces reeking of self promotion.

And there is much of that in this article but also a bit more human interest. I'm glad they included some pictures of the interior and exterior. The potential of this development is awsome to say the least. I think there is a genuine news worthy story here.

[SteelTown]

Looks like Stinson has reduced the condo prices range from $199,900 - $399,900.

[SteelTown]

Who is Harry Stinson?
http://www.dailywebtv.com/Hamilton/video/13833/Who-is-Harry-Stinson?-

[BCTed]

I just had a quick look at the price list at the project Web site at http://stinsonschool.com/prices.html

Some details:

- 60 units for sale
- only one is priced below $250K and that is a studio at $159,900
- median price is $379,900. Mean price is $400,000
- Ten of the units are priced at $599,900 or higher. Six of those are priced at $699,900
- A note at the bottom reads: "Prices subject to change at the developers [sic] discretion.", so the prices are not fixed.

The units seem to be quite large, but I cannot picture many sales at these prices. Also, Harry really needs to get himself a proofreader.

Details from the current pricing page:
- 67 units now listed, but only 51 have prices attached
- 22 units are now priced at or below $250K (4 at $249,900, 18 below it)
- median price (of the units with listed prices) is now $299,900. Mean price is now $296,700
- only two units are now listed at $599,900 or higher. They are both right at $599,900. No longer are any units priced at $699,900.

Prices are down by quite a bit, but still seem far too high to me.

[markbarbera]

From what I understand, the $699K units have disappeared because the revised plans no longer includes a row of new townhouses along Alanson. The project is now strictly loft conversion of the existing building.

The removal of the $699K towns from the plans obvious pushes down the overall median and mean pricing. I believe you'll find the remaining units are still priced at roughly the same as when originally posted. Another change to the overall plan is the conversion of the auditorium into several condo units instead of the original plan to retain it as a common use facility for condo owners.

[SteelTown]

I think the price is just right since the floorplans are huge compared to other condo units. Plus some of the units come with a terrace.

[SteelTown]

Stinson School Lofts Moving Ahead

The historic Stinson School is a busy place these days. An impressive presentation centre is now open onsite and development applications have been filed at City Hall. The model suites have made all the difference" says developer Harry Stinson.

"Now that people can actually see the furnished living spaces, they really 'get it'. One just can't express in words the impact of the 14 foot high ceilings, the massive red pine doors, brick arches and huge windows. The grand stairwell is like Howarts.

While the eccentric style and ambitious scale of the project may be something new for the Hamilton market, Stinson says he went through the same evolution - and challengers - with his famous Canada Factor Lofts in Toronto. "The parallels are rather uncanny. Queen West was not exactly a blue chip address at the time, developers didn't take the downtown condo market seriously, and the early 1990's were a rough time for selling real estate. "Experts; and bankers publicly mocked the Candy Factory Lofts concept and said it would never happen. Consumers, on the other hand, loved the product. The building sold out, and Queen West was transformed by the time construction finished.

Early buyers doubled their money on their suites, some of which were resold to bankers, which is appropriate".

In comparison, the Stinson School itself is even better suited to residential re-use, as it was constructed for "people", rather than industrial use. Rooms are square and well-lit, hallways wide, the woodwork elegant and the architecture baronial. The neighbourhood is full of large brick homes, tress, and families. The GO train station and downtown facilities are within walking distance.

Surprisingly, many of the buyers are empty-nesters. "It's half the price and twice the personality of anything in Oakvillie, Burlington and Mississauga, or even Toronto", says one purchaser, "It's also a no-brainer investment."

Not surprisingly, the sales are being driver by word-of-mouth. "Even the skeptics - who come in initially snickering - comment that the Stinson School is far more interesting than they expected", says Stinson. "I tell them to take their time and think about it carefully, then come back after we raise the prices".

Currently, prices start at $179,900.

Open House
Daily Through the Holidays
200 Stinson Street, Hamilton
www.stinsonschool.com

[BCTed]

Stinson School Lofts Moving Ahead

The historic Stinson School is a busy place these days. An impressive presentation centre is now open onsite and development applications have been filed at City Hall. The model suites have made all the difference" says developer Harry Stinson.

"Now that people can actually see the furnished living spaces, they really 'get it'. One just can't express in words the impact of the 14 foot high ceilings, the massive red pine doors, brick arches and huge windows. The grand stairwell is like Howarts.

While the eccentric style and ambitious scale of the project may be something new for the Hamilton market, Stinson says he went through the same evolution - and challengers - with his famous Canada Factor Lofts in Toronto. "The parallels are rather uncanny. Queen West was not exactly a blue chip address at the time, developers didn't take the downtown condo market seriously, and the early 1990's were a rough time for selling real estate. "Experts; and bankers publicly mocked the Candy Factory Lofts concept and said it would never happen. Consumers, on the other hand, loved the product. The building sold out, and Queen West was transformed by the time construction finished.

Early buyers doubled their money on their suites, some of which were resold to bankers, which is appropriate".

In comparison, the Stinson School itself is even better suited to residential re-use, as it was constructed for "people", rather than industrial use. Rooms are square and well-lit, hallways wide, the woodwork elegant and the architecture baronial. The neighbourhood is full of large brick homes, tress, and families. The GO train station and downtown facilities are within walking distance.

Surprisingly, many of the buyers are empty-nesters. "It's half the price and twice the personality of anything in Oakvillie, Burlington and Mississauga, or even Toronto", says one purchaser, "It's also a no-brainer investment."

Not surprisingly, the sales are being driver by word-of-mouth. "Even the skeptics - who come in initially snickering - comment that the Stinson School is far more interesting than they expected", says Stinson. "I tell them to take their time and think about it carefully, then come back after we raise the prices".

Currently, prices start at $179,900.

Open House
Daily Through the Holidays
200 Stinson Street, Hamilton
www.stinsonschool.com

Did you scan this in off a pamphlet and then use optical character recognition software? It's full of typos/errors: "Howarts", "Canada Factor", "tress".

Bold statement about raising prices... I do not see it happening.

[realcity]

$600 condo fees, usually include heat, hydro and maintenance. Stuff that you need to spend money on anyway. Imagine the amount of heating needed for those size