Downtown in Canada's worst major city

[flar]

HAMILTON NEIGHBOURHOODS:
Corktown • Durand • Central • Dundas • Locke St. South • Burlington • Stinson • Westdale • St. Clair • Keith • Landsdale
The Delta • Gibson • Jamesville • Concession Street • Durand North • Durand South • Old Dundas Houses • Hess Village • Barton Street
Ancaster • North Kirkendall • South Kirkendall • McMaster University • Downtown • The Bayfront • The North End • Kenilworth
Mountain Brow • Textile District • Strathcona • North Stipley • Flamborough • Beasley • Chedoke • Stoney Creek • The Beach Strip

HAMILTON FEATURES:
C I T Y _ L I G H T S • Stone Hamilton • Twilight of the Industrial Age • Twilight of the Industrial Age II
Stone in Dundas and Ancaster • Goodbye, Hamilton (from 43 floors up) • Dirty Brick • Day for Night
This broken down old city still manages to wake up every morning... • Everywhere, Ontario • < R - E - T - R - O >
HAMILTON | Scenes from the cutting room floor • S U B U R B I A ! • Everywhere, Ontario • Hamilton Rowhouses
< H E A V Y <> I N D U S T R Y > • Old Man Winter vs. Hamilton



Shunned by the NHL, spurned by top retailers, scorned by its own citizens, scoffed at by everyone else...

I've shown many great Hamilton neighbourhoods, but I haven't shown a comprehensive tour of Downtown Hamilton. Downtown is usually the first stop for anyone who wants to explore a city, so I decided to give Hamilton the same treatment I give other cities I visit: a walk around the downtown area photographing anything that catches my eye. Downtown Hamilton is a bit of an enigma, it is considered dead by most, it is almost completely lacking in quality retailers, beautiful historic buildings sit empty, threatened with demolition, and potential developers are unable to secure financing for their projects. Yet there are over 30,000 downtown workers, a healthy streetlife and plenty of high density residential nearby. This day was not a good one to show off the streetlife--it was as cold as it ever gets with a high of -7.5 C and windchill of -23 C. I suffered immensely for these photos, most people had the good sense to stay indoors, but I had a lot of ground to cover and this was the only day I was able to get out for photos.

[giallo]

Hamilton looks sick!
You've got a flare, flar.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Other cities wish they were as cool as Hamilton. Figuratively and literally.

Ack flar, I can actually feel the burning tingling sensation on my hands from taking photos in the cold. Thanks for the masochistic tendencies and posting the good, the bad, the ugly, and the always interesting.

[Boris]

Thanks to your great threads, Hamilton is not shunned here.

[Evergrey]

amazing how Downtown Hamilton looks nothing like Downtown Buffalo

[Thundertubs]

I didn't have any Canadian currency for the parking meters (or is it metres?), so I was only able to scurry arund downtown Hamilton for a few minutes, but I was very impressed with the Hammer's retail and street energy downtown. It semed very functional and walkable, with neat junky stores like comic book shops and pet stores. Most American cities of similar econonic situations have downtowns like crypts. Healthier American cities like Chicago don't have fun junky stores downtown, they have Quiznos.
Great pics.

[Austinlee]

The downtown looks very much intact. And plenty of activity going on. Still room for improvement, like any place.

I bet the downtown will get even better with the current trend of CBD resurgence.

[raggedy13]

Great set of pics flar. I hadn't seen many Hamilton photos before (and I've never really been there - just driven by on the way from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake) but it looks like it has a great downtown - some great buildings, new and old, and plenty of healthy pedestrian activity. Thanks for the tour.

[Kilgore Trout]

Looks great. Still, like you said, it has nice buildings, plenty of office workers and decent pedestrian traffic, so why is there so much vacant retail?

[Chelsea Spy]

Great work. It doesn't look like such a bad downtown at all!

[Robert Pence]

Gawd. wotta dump!

I'm impressed. As you noted, a lot of gorgeous vintage buildings are badly in need of investment, but there's a great eclectic mix of architecture. Lots of activity, with people on the street. It looks pretty lively.

Bitter cold weather often yields clear air and great pics if you can stand it. Great shots.

[Tony]

Harsh title man! I've always liked d/t Hamilton. It was always to me like getting the big city feeling without the need to drive into Toronto when I lived in Niagara.

Great Photos. Some buildings improved over times, others... not so much.

[circle33]

Rife with potential. That GO Stations the shit.

I noted an LCBO. That's the most major retailer of all.

Great photos as always.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by Thundertubs

I didn't have any Canadian currency for the parking meters (or is it metres?),

Parking meters is the correct spelling. A metre is the unit of measurement that the rest of the world (except the US) uses. I would have thought that a parking meter would take US coins, especially with the US and Cdn dollar at almost par.

[Buck]

Amazing thread. Great photographs (really great) and I love the format you use... looks like a comic book.

Hamilton could use a bit of work in places... but I find it to be pretty lovely.

[M II A II R II K]

The only thing that's a bit of a pain is all the major streets being one way street, but other than that it seemed pretty ok.

[Complex01]

Looks fine for over here, but i guess you would have to be their in person so really understand it. Nice pics...

[DC83]

Wow! I have to say this is the best thread yet, Flar!

I especially love the comparisons: Old vs New, Deco vs Deco, Beauty vs Beast (Pigott vs Ellen Fairclough Provincial Bldg) hahaha

You managed to capture lots of street activity for a -23 C day :s I know *I* would have been all bundled up inside! hahaha

[DC83]

Originally Posted by circle33

Rife with potential. That GO Stations the shit.

I noted an LCBO. That's the most major retailer of all.

Great photos as always.

I think the reason why Hamilton is a big city with a small city feel is b/c our downtown lacks major retailers. We don't even have a grocery store in the core!! Just the Farmer's Market (which is great, just not always open).

Some people find this charming. Most (such as myself) find it inconvenient as I have to travel some distance, mostly to the suburbs, to shop. I live downtown, and the Core (which Flar mostly covered in this thread) is only a 7-9 min walk from my condo.

Our Economic Development Dept is (apparently) aggressively courting "major" retail tenants to locate in our core. Some show interest but with hesitation despite the huge amount of residential units in the entire downtown area. Starbucks is actually JUST opening it's 1st Downtown Hamilton location on Locke Street South.

So things are going to turn around, slowly but surely re: major Retail tenants downtown.

[the dude]

love the title. unfortunately, most hamiltonians wouldn't understand your ironic sense of humour.

thanks for braving the cold. it's not easy to take a good photo at -20C.