Stinson School Lofts | ? | 4 fl | Complete

[realcity]

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

[emge]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[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

• Video Link