Hammer Reno's

[raisethehammer]

dang! that is nice. great job.

[raisethehammer]

what the heck is being demolished on Barton at Sherman next to one of the huge Polish churches??
It's like a 4 storey building being demo'd.
Anyone know why?? I'd hope not for parking on Barton, but this is the Hammer...nothing would surprise me.

[matt602]

It was a '70s or '60s church building, seemed like a school or a banquet center. I assume it's being torn down for the exact reason you mentioned. Probably more parking for the schools there and the churches. I'll be surprised if anything gets built.

[DC83]

I saw some construction people working away inside the old Zig Zag Zebra resto.

Anyone know what's going on here?

[matt602]

No idea on Zig Zag, but the small building at Hunter/James is getting a new floor put on it. Saw it last weekend, it's probably nearly done now. They seem to be working pretty hard on it.

[raisethehammer]

I found out today that the building at James and Hunter sold for roughly $225,000 in 2000. Sold in 2005 for $500,000. Apparently downtown properties are seeing a surge in value for the first time in a looooooong time.
Good news.

[block43]

Originally Posted by DC83

I saw some construction people working away inside the old Zig Zag Zebra resto.

Anyone know what's going on here?

I think an architecture firm is moving in here.

[the dude]

^i hope they fix the exterior. those faux columns and the caesar statue have to go. would be a great location for an architecture firm.

[LikeHamilton]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

what the heck is being demolished on Barton at Sherman next to one of the huge Polish churches??
It's like a 4 storey building being demo'd.
Anyone know why?? I'd hope not for parking on Barton, but this is the Hammer...nothing would surprise me.

The building was originally built as an extension to St Ann’s School in the early 70’s when enrollment was still high. It replaced a building built in the 20’s. The new building was built in the open concept style. On the property are St. Ann’s Church and a second St. Ann’s School building with classrooms and the gym built in the late 50’ or early 60’s at the rear of the property. As enrollment dropped the school was consolidated into the building at the rear. The newer building was turned into the Mancini Resource Centre. That was closed a few years ago and has sat empty. Now they have torn it down as they no longer have a use for it and the cost of maintaining a 70’s building tends to be high. St. Ann’s school is on the list of schools slated for closure in the next year or two. I expect the building to be torn down. The Catholic School board will most likely sell the property to a developer, as they do not sit on vacant property very long. They need the money more than parking.

[flar]

Originally Posted by the dude

^i hope they fix the exterior. those faux columns and the caesar statue have to go. would be a great location for an architecture firm.

Whether they do this or not should indicate whether the firm is any good.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by flar

Whether they do this or not should indicate whether the firm is any good.

hmmm, I'd have to respectfully disagree. I love the columns and statue. Adds character to the downtown.
I love the old signage and images downtown - Capri sign, Pagoda, the new 'old' style signs at christophers and cheapies, lions at embassy etc....
i still wish we had the old 'uncle tommy' sign downtown. remember that? it was cool.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

hmmm, I'd have to respectfully disagree. I love the columns and statue. Adds character to the downtown.
I love the old signage and images downtown - Capri sign, Pagoda, the new 'old' style signs at christophers and cheapies, lions at embassy etc....
i still wish we had the old 'uncle tommy' sign downtown. remember that? it was cool.

I would argue that those examples are all quite a bit more tasteful than the example at hand though.

[BrianE]

Originally Posted by DC83

We're Transforming the Neighbourhood
Luxury Suites Available soon

Can anyone guess where there's a banner posting this message?
Yep, you got it; Main & Sherman! haha

So remember that building that was gutted by that fire 3-4 years ago on the N/W corner of Main & Sherman? Apparently the people that bought the smaller building beside it are starting to reno this once crack-den of a bldg into Luxury Suites. There's little information besides that there is a "waiting list available".

I'm pretty happy to hear, although I'm sure the rent will be too high for the neighbourhood.

Someone recently bought up another older building at King/Sherman, stuccoed the hell out of it, and turned it into over-priced condos: http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.as...ertyID=6081488

So what do u guys think? Are developpers actually transforming this neighbourhood? Is it even possible?

There was a wrecking crew tearing down the house behind this apartment building, on Sherman Ave, just north of Main St. on Feb. 25th. No doubt this will be the new parking lot for the "Luxury suites" that are being renovated there. Looks like the mandatory number of parking spaces by-law strikes again. It's a little sad to see a hundred year old house get torn down for parking, its a bit of consolation to know that the house was a bit rundown and it has the exact layout and look of about 2000 other homes in the neighborhood.

So, things are looking up for this property. Work is being done, parking is being provided.

Oh, someone mentioned that the rent for this property might be too high for the area. 2 bedroom apartments are going for between $800 - $1000 /month in the Sherman, Gage, South of Main area. I'm sure these will push that $1000 envelope.

[DC83]

^^ That IS sad. Wanna know what's even worse? Covering that low-rise apt building at King/Sherman with (faux) Stucco! AHHH!!

Isn't that a smaller Apt Bldg behind it? That's sad that they have to tear it down for a parking lot. How about in-lieu of parking they give tenants free bus passes for a year? They all have great access to the B-Line right there!

$1000/mth for a washer/dryer in your unit? Hmmm. Is it really worth it? We'll have to wait and see. But good on this neighbourhood regardless!

[matt602]

I don't think people who can afford $1000/month rent will want to ride around on the bus. As awesome as that would be of course, the rich people in Hamilton are still very attached to their cars... and when you're living right on Main St., there's not much they see as a reason to be taking the bus anywhere.

[DC83]

^^ If it were Upper Stoney Creek they would drive to the Shoppers across the street! hahaha

Let's hope that the rent price is on the higher end to attract a better tenant-base than what was previously here :s

[BrianE]

Originally Posted by DC83

^^ If it were Upper Stoney Creek they would drive to the Shoppers across the street! hahaha

Let's hope that the rent price is on the higher end to attract a better tenant-base than what was previously here :s

I was pretty close on the price of the new units. Here is their add on viewit.ca http://www.viewit.ca/vwExpandView.aspx?ViT=64851

Starting at $650 and up, which means a 2 bedroom unit could be in the $800 - $900 range. If I was still renting, these might be a good deal.

[DC83]

wow they are looking good!
$650 for a one bed tho? Kinda pricey. Depends on square footage I guess.

Great find, BrianE!

[raisethehammer]

yup....the outside looks like crap, but those units are great.
What the frig is that stupid angled stucco thing in front of the building????
for the record, it was a house being torn down, not the apartment behind it. it was already reno'd.
I'd love to see downtown filled with nice, clean enjoyable rental units like this. Just like Montreal. Some overpriced condos are nice to throw into the mix, but lofts and apartments are the way to go downtown.
Not sure how 8 parking spots (or whatever they're fitting on that site) is going to help 3 buildings this size?
80 or 90% of tenants will still be carless, which is good.
I'd like to see renovated apartments in Hamilton start to provide some secure, covered bike parking sheds or rooms. Imagine LRT both ways out front?? a site like this would be VERY sought after. the B-Line is still a big old bus. Nothing unique or sexy.
Overall, great project here. This is exactly whats been happening in this area recently. If we could fix our main streets (check out the 1-way streets conversation) and bring vibrant retail/dining life back to them through this part of town, it would be a really cool, urban neighbourhood. Right now it's just nice apartments having all their pictures and mirrors rattling around thanks to the truck highway out front.

[FairHamilton]

We close on a house in just east of the Sherman & King area in 1 month, so I'm glad to see newly renovated apartments, and condos (even if they are stucco'd) in the area.

I'm getting more and more excited about moving into the area, and supporting the area.