Coppley bankrupt
 

bad news - the parent company of Coppley has gone bankrupt.

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...ankruptcy.html

Hopefully they can offload them, would be a big shame if they folded. They're one of the biggest private employers downtown. I also really don't want to see the Commercial Block turned into condos.

To be honest if theres no chance of Coppley continuing operations or a similar operation continuing in the building, I think it would make an excellent loft or condo conversion. Lots of nice big windows and it would put some more people on the street near the renovated farmers market and library. Unfortunately the mens shelter down the street would make it a tough sell for residential.

I can't imagine the Salvation Army being a hindrance to such a project. Having rapists and paedos living down the street from you is part of life in the big city. Hell, some of them even live in the suburbs.

Dunn's might be a greater issue. It's really noisy and a little foul at times.

Anyway, I'd prefer it not be turned into condos. They've been making things there for 150+ years. I'd hate to see that come to an end.

The city should move immediately to protect the building from any demolition. It is the last of the great looking buildings that made up that part of the core!

absolutely. I just looked at the January minutes of the heritage committee and apparently the designation process started for the building in the 70s but was stalled.

^The 1970s?? Yeah, that's about the pace we're accustomed to here in the Hammer.

This old warehouse dates back to the 1850s and was designed by Frederick Rastrick who left his mark all over the lower city in much the same way that William Thomas did.

A couple years later (late 1850s) Rastrick built an almost identical warehouse just to the north. It was demolished in the 1960s and a parking lot stands in its place - what else is new?

Let's hope they designate this building because you know somebody will try to demo it without a second thought...not that it would fall easily.

Here's a link to a list of Rastrick's work in Hamilton:
http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanad...ects/view/1408

An American textile company named Individualized Apperal Group is purchasing Coppley. They intend to continue operating it as a high end suit manufacturer.

Wunderbar!

Good news. Their suits are very nice. I appreciate the warehouse sales they have a couple times a year.