Posted Nov 20, 2009, 12:21 PM
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It's Hammer Time
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,880
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Million-dollar question hangs over Lister
ANDREW DRESCHEL
The mould and mustiness has given way to the dry smells of a construction site.
The plaster has been removed, the walls environmentally cleaned.
And trades workers in hard hats and work boots are all over the place.
There are few sights more gratifying in this city right now than the derelict old Lister being brought back to life like this.
After more than a decade of false hopes and failed starts, it’s purely wonderful to finally track the progress and preservation that’s under way behind the facade at the corner of James North and King William.
Tagging along on a guided tour led by Joe Mancinelli of LIUNA, the owners, and Shawn Marr of the Hi-Rise Group, the union’s partner, you quickly appreciate why the project is costing $25 million.
As Mancinelli joked, contractors are being “tortured by the heritage nature of the building” and what the heritage architects will allow them to do.
It’s obviously paying off.
While uncovering the fabled arcade’s ceiling, they discovered two previously hidden skylights in their original state, which can be used as models to replicate the others.
They’ve salvaged 36 original windows which, along with original doors and pattern glass, will all be incorporated into rehabilitated storefronts.
Most of the marble on the ground floor was saved for reinstallation. Anything missing will be replicated by hand.
All the handrails and newel posts are being brought back to authentic life.
And on the exterior, where real work will begin in the spring, they’re testing the terracotta detailing to find the right colour tone for repair and replacement.
Heck, they’ve even analyzed the original mortar so they can reproduce the aggregate exactly.
Mancinelli says it’s hard to say how many millions of dollars all the heritage work has added to the bottom line.
But it’s fair to say the $7 million the province kicked in to offset the cost of rehabilitating the 1924 building is being put to good use.
When it’s all completed in 12 to 14 months, the city, which is paying the balance of the bill, will be the proud owner of a renewed architectural showpiece.
It will also be the anchoring tenant in the building’s 65,000 square feet of office and retail space, which Mayor Fred Eisenberger confidently predicts will be a “catalyst for redevelopment” in the core.
But we’re not out of the woods yet.
The million-dollar question is, what’s happening with the second phase of the project?
That’s the amount of money the city insisted LIUNA put up by way of guaranteeing the combined project will generate at least $600,000 in new property taxes annually.
The second stage includes rebuilding the adjacent Thomas building on James, replacing the collapsed Balfour on King William, and ideally using the large empty lot behind Lister.
The way things are going right now, Mancinelli doubts they’ll be able to deliver enough development to get the $1 million back.
“We’re talking to some very reputable groups that have a high level of interest, but we’re not at a building or development stage with any of them, unfortunately.”
Still, Mancinelli knows something will have to be done sooner than later, particularly with the Thomas building.
Unlike Lister, the 1850s Thomas is structurally unsound. It not only had to be propped up, it’s been completely gutted.
That’s left an empty, ugly shell next to an emerging gem and Mancinelli knows that simply isn’t tenable.
“We can’t just leave a derelict building sitting next to another building we’ve just done.”
Happily, the Lister building is well on its way to being reborn.
Sadly, in the absence of a concrete plan, a question mark still lingers over the larger Lister Block.
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