Renovation of 95-109 James Street North

[atnor]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

I disagree. It's a nice little building and the signage suits it. I'm well happy with it.

As always I'm fascinated by how polarising this building is. The only thing I can think of is people (in this forum) dislike it because it's only one-story and can't see past that - this is skyscraperpage after all.

Honestly, a building's height does nothing for me. I mean, this is literally a one story box with mixmatch bricks, cheap roofing, and awkward windows / skylights totally devoid of any aesthetic features.

I think this development would have been much nicer if the building was set back with a patio in the front decorated with pergolas and vines.

[davidcappi]

I don't hate this building, it just feels like a compromise on a compromise. The "bold tile" promised around the front entry is just grey hardie panels. The signage leaves much to be desired and the off-the-shelf exterior sconces seem out of place. Heck, it even looks like they cut back on the number of skylights along the front from 3 to 2. I remember elevations floated around with Glass Block and sculpted metal around the windows... Those unique features could have given us a really special little building.

I get that building a building in Hamilton isn't easy, and a business like this must have so many unexpected costs and expenses... I just hate to see poor detailing. This could have been a cool building but the finishes are just lacking.

[thomax]

Merit Brewing Sign at Night by brushboys, on Instagram

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by thomax

Merit Brewing Sign at Night by brushboys, on Instagram

more like "meh" rit.

[ScreamingViking]

Ok, there's a wee bit of neon there

The backlighting is nice. Will the "Brewing" be backlit too? Probably not I would guess seeing as that looks done.

That graffiti... ugh.

[fuller]

Looks like the 'filament' of the clear light bulb (not-?)sign just might present as an 'M', as in Merit, to those approaching from the north or south?

Here again we see something that is at odds with a new build: the brickwork at the top of the wall is atrocious, *unless* it's designed to look like the weathered faces of bricks that once comprised the parapet wall of a one storey, flat-roofed building, one that has had a mansard roof added on to it in a later alteration.

Or am I being too kind here, and it's just a poor job carried out during cold weather?

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by fuller

Looks like the 'filament' of the clear light bulb (not-?)sign just might present as an 'M', as in Merit, to those approaching from the north or south?

Here again we see something that is at odds with a new build: the brickwork at the top of the wall is atrocious, *unless* it's designed to look like the weathered faces of bricks that once comprised the parapet wall of a one storey, flat-roofed building, one that has had a mansard roof added on to it in a later alteration.

Or am I being too kind here, and it's just a poor job carried out during cold weather?

the latter.

[NortheastWind]

I'm digging that light fixture.

[SteelTown]

PHOTOS: Merit Brewing ready for business
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/72...-for-business/

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

PHOTOS: Merit Brewing ready for business
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/72...-for-business/

the menu sounds hipstery and expensive.. hope they don't price themselves out of business like other businesses have along james st...

also the inside makes me feel like I am inside an elementary school gym lol..

[beanmedic]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

the menu sounds hipstery and expensive.. hope they don't price themselves out of business like other businesses have along james st...

also the inside makes me feel like I am inside an elementary school gym lol..

Menu sounds hipstery? They're selling sausages.

Which businesses have priced themselves out of business along James St?

[LikeHamilton]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

hope they don't price themselves out of business like other businesses have along james st...

???

Try and get into most places on James North. Fridays and Saturday if you don't have a reservation you can't get in or you have to wait a long time.

Art Crawl this Friday.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by beanmedic

Menu sounds hipstery? They're selling sausages.

Which businesses have priced themselves out of business along James St?

Thursday: Butter Chicken w. Mango & Apple Chutney, Chili & Fennel w. Tomato Jam & Garlic Aioli, Falafel Dog All Dressed Chicago Style. Side: mixed pickles including wild garlic picked Tawse Winery!

Right.. "just" sausages..

also lake road is closing, personally anywhere that charges you 35 dollars for a plate of pasta and a drink.. is too expensive for me. FFs pasta alone costs less than a buck! I looked at their menu - horrendously expensive.

Oh and let's not mention the lister block restaurant that went under.. mind you that was a complicated example that involved the developer being a crook and not paying people, but still extremely overpriced food.. it was something like 60 bucks for a tomahawk steak..

then there was the bistro parisienne in the southern area of james st that went under.. also very expensive food..

King william st is like that too - high prices, not a lot of food.

[timach]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Thursday: Butter Chicken w. Mango & Apple Chutney, Chili & Fennel w. Tomato Jam & Garlic Aioli, Falafel Dog All Dressed Chicago Style. Side: mixed pickles including wild garlic picked Tawse Winery!

Right.. "just" sausages..

also lake road is closing, personally anywhere that charges you 35 dollars for a plate of pasta and a drink.. is too expensive for me. FFs pasta alone costs less than a buck! I looked at their menu - horrendously expensive.

Oh and let's not mention the lister block restaurant that went under.. mind you that was a complicated example that involved the developer being a crook and not paying people, but still extremely overpriced food.. it was something like 60 bucks for a tomahawk steak..

then there was the bistro parisienne in the southern area of james st that went under.. also very expensive food..

King william st is like that too - high prices, not a lot of food.

Since when is Lake Road closing?

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by timach

Since when is Lake Road closing?

since a month ago? We used to do events in the basement and we were told we couldn't do them anymore as it was closing so we had to look for another venue

*edit* I did some more research, seems they are only closing on sundays, which is when we had our venue, as he found there was no real business then.. still.. the amt of money they were charging for food.. ridiculous.

[timach]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

since a month ago? We used to do events in the basement and we were told we couldn't do them anymore as it was closing so we had to look for another venue

*edit* I did some more research, seems they are only closing on sundays, which is when we had our venue, as he found there was no real business then.. still.. the amt of money they were charging for food.. ridiculous.

I can agree they're over priced. I do enjoy the food there though, but then again I've only had steak there.

Someone told me that the building is for sale tho

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

king william may have some higher end restaurants but there are tons of people willing to pay for the right atmosphere.... and on a thursday, friday or saturday good luck getting a table without a reservation .... they are simply supplying a demand.... the trend use to be that the people willing to pay use to have to leave Hamilton for Toronto Burlington or other areas and now we are able to stay in town and enjoy our own city

[ScreamingViking]

The restaurant business is pretty hit and miss no matter what city or part thereof they serve, isn't it? Some establishments find their niche and their market, and survive for decades. Some don't and die within months.

[beanmedic]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

Thursday: Butter Chicken w. Mango & Apple Chutney, Chili & Fennel w. Tomato Jam & Garlic Aioli, Falafel Dog All Dressed Chicago Style. Side: mixed pickles including wild garlic picked Tawse Winery!

Right.. "just" sausages..

also lake road is closing, personally anywhere that charges you 35 dollars for a plate of pasta and a drink.. is too expensive for me. FFs pasta alone costs less than a buck! I looked at their menu - horrendously expensive.

Oh and let's not mention the lister block restaurant that went under.. mind you that was a complicated example that involved the developer being a crook and not paying people, but still extremely overpriced food.. it was something like 60 bucks for a tomahawk steak..

then there was the bistro parisienne in the southern area of james st that went under.. also very expensive food..

King william st is like that too - high prices, not a lot of food.

I'm just not understanding what is hipstery about a variety of house-made sausages on buns with 2-4 toppings for $9. A chicken club costs $14.49 (with a side) at Kelsey's (http://www.kelseys.ca/dinner.php), so I really don't think you have an understanding of the price level for dining in Hamilton.

Is this place hipstery? Why or why not? http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/73...63f9629d8c.jpg

Yes, $60 for a steak is absurd, but that guy had other problems (failure to pay rent, awful service, bad reviews).

Bistro Parisien - you have got to be kidding. A place selling $21 steak frites (reasonable)
(https://web.archive.org/web/20150315.../main_menu.php) replaced by a $5 taco and $9-12 cocktail bar (http://www.mezcaltnt.com/menu/) that has had enormous success? That's not evidence that supports your argument.

We have some sort of inclination to be negative about everything in this city. It's like you can't have success unless everyone thought you would fail.

[Chronamut]

generally most talked about successes DO come from everyone thinking they would fail..

when I ate at bistro parisienne my bill generally racked up to 50 dollars when I was done.. that is NOT reasonable.

The mexican place it was replaced with.. reasonable prices... although I will agree with you though that the drink prices at the mexican place are a bit steep.. but I don't buy drinks there.. where you compare 23 bucks at parisienne for .. sweetbreads? Really? Generally I still did enjoy eating at parisienne.. although I reserved it only for special occasions..

With kelseys, you tend to get a crapton of food for what you order, thus I am willing to spend a bit more.. I compare amt of food to price of food - if the amt of food does not = the price I pay for it (like on king william) then it is not a good ratio of price to food for me.



and the whole marketing the whole "garlic aioli" thing as some sudden new innovative thing is just funny to me.. all aioli is is garlic and olive oil, yet they market it as something "upscale" - to me that is hipstery. My hipster factor generally goes with how pretentious I feel a place is trying to be. That's just my personal take on it though, as is my entire opinion on the matter.

Anyways I think we have gotten a bit off topic here. Personally, for this building, I feel like they could have done better, but that's just my personal opinion.