Old Pics Of Hamilton

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Somebody's going to scoop up the old Kresge's soon: a great commercial space below; residential tower above. It'll be a thing of beauty.

[ScreamingViking]

I like the educational idea that was in the Wilson story too. Add Mac to the list if they get booted out of the old court house.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by stuckinexeter

I believe the building you are referring to burned down and was replaced by the two story art deco Kresge's....i will check on it.

Not sure about the Kresge's building, but that happened to the Woo,worth building. Check out both Woolworth buildings on page 11 of this thread.

10 p.m. March 24, 1947, fire was reported at the F. W.Woolworth and Company department store, 29 King street east.

The Central Fire station was only a few blocks away and on the scene within a minute or two. But as the fire had progressed so rapidly, and as there was a real threat that a major part of the downtown Hamilton core could be aflame, soon every piece of equipment was brought in from every other fire station in the city.

Fortunately the Woolworth’s store and nearby businesses had been closed for the evening so no individuals were in need of rescue. The heavy smoke was a challenge for firefighters.

In the end the 3 storey Woolworth’s department was totally lost to the fire, while nearby businesses including The Right House, Tambyln’s Drug store, Loblaw’s grocery and Northway’s received significant water and smoke damage.

The fire loss was an estimated one million (1947) dollars. The cause was determined to have been accidentally caused during a burglary or the result of a deliberate arson.

http://henleyshamilton1.wordpress.co...re-march-1947/

[CaptainKirk]

[ScreamingViking]

The TH&B station looks so bleak in that photo.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

What's happening in the foreground of that last Kresge's shot? I can't figure it out.

[Paul29]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

What's happening in the foreground of that last Kresge's shot? I can't figure it out.

You mean that concrete retaining wall?

I didn't notice the first time I looked at it.
Judging by the cars the pic was early '80's, that's most definitely a '79ish Mustang on the left....................ugly car, really ugly...........fugly even.

I think the washrooms were long gone by then so I can't imagine what that is/was.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

What's happening in the foreground of that last Kresge's shot? I can't figure it out.

Picture is from May 1984, about 10 months after the Gore Park Massacre. Concrete was in vogue, trees less so:

The outcry that had come with the chopping down of the trees was nothing compared with the reaction when two concrete block buildings started going up. Tony Butler, of the Hamilton Historic Board and a local architect, attacked the plan. He checked the drawings and said "They are totally inappropriate to the character of the city...I'm ashamed to see what's happening in Gore Park."....Council member were caught off balance by the vehemence of the protests and, while some of them staunchly defended the plan other "called the buildings too overpowering and monstrosities...[and] urged scrapping present plans and starting over.... In November of 1984 the renovations to the park and adjoining roadway were completed at a cost of $2.5 million."

The Gore Park Massacre carried an estimated price tag of $715,000.

Also: The Spec newsstand out front of Kresges is cute.

[Paul29]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

The Spec newsstand out front of Kresges is cute.

I worked at Kresge's for about 4 years through high school part time and the same 2 guys were in the Spec box 6 days a week all day.

I remember the one at King and James too.

[Katrillion]

Atleast Gore Park has nice trees now lol

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Coolness.

Yeah, I didn't look closely at that TH&B shot the first time round. It's definitely got a 1980s NYC vibe - love it.

[Ahatmose]

False ceiling at The Lyric Theater



Apparently it was just some chicken wire covered with a paste of some sort.

“Chicken wire, asbestos and a little plaster with paint on the bottom–watch.”

He tossed a golf ball sized bit of crumbled brick onto the material, then, with a little ripping noise, the chunk tore through the surface leaving a neat round hole behind.

We could hear it ricochet across the wall, and then the floor below. I would make sure to stay on the plank as the two of us moved across the suspended ceiling. The steel bands holding up the ceiling we were using as a floor were marked with rust: they did not exactly inspire confidence.

http://substreet.org/lyric-theatre/

.

[matt602]

Yeah, thats exactly what it was. The wall behind him is part of the original walls of the auditorium. If he kept walking he would have ended up in what was left of the balcony. The roof collapsed onto it at some point in the late 1990's. To get up there you either went up a 20 foot ladder from a closet beside the stage or went up some stairs in the front office part, then up a smaller yet much tighter ladder around the 3rd floor of the offices.

I fell through the floor of the 2nd floor offices and landed in the lobby the last time I was in that place. Thankfully I landed on a mushy pile of plaster, otherwise I'd have been injured pretty bad. I would have loved to have seen that place restored but it was in the worst condition that I've ever seen an abandoned building.

[Ahatmose]

Hi all I have just purchased two original pen and ink drawings of either the proposed neon sign or the actual neon sign of the Lyric and The Royal in Toronto. They came from the estate of the original owner. They are about 16 by 24 inches and also two free passes.





The drawings have been neatly restored and I was interested in how close they resembled the old neon signs of The Grand and The Grand Opera Hotel



Cheers

[CaptainKirk]

[CaptainKirk]

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by CaptainKirk

Finally a good shot of the Eaton's building. I rarely EVER see this. Got anymore?

[CaptainKirk]

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Finally a good shot of the Eaton's building. I rarely EVER see this. Got anymore?

No, sorry.

Pictures from facebook - Vintage Hamilton

Pink Floyd 1975

[CaptainKirk]

01 Oct 1951

Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, riding in an open car, wave at a cheering crowd gathered in front of the Capitol Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, October 1951. Photo taken during the National Film Board of Canada's production of 'Royal Journey,' a documentary account of the five-week visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951.