Federal Building 72 James St. N

RePinion · #1 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 9:47 PM**

Does anyone know anything about the old "Federal Building" on James North which houses the City Ballet?

I was chatting with a friend of mine in Toronto who is a very well off partner in a Bay street firm. He grew up in Hamilton and always loved the building and we joked that he should move back here buy it and turn it into a boutique hotel. Not likely to happen, but it got me thinking about that building.

Does anyone know anything about its history? Owner? Maybe someone has some good pics of it?

oldcoote · #2 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 9:52 PM**

Isn't that the building that got stucco'd?

RePinion · #3 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 9:53 PM**

yeah it got stuccoed on the lower floors ... but that could easily be fixed

oldcoote · #4 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 9:58 PM**

Beautiful building.

I think your friend should do it!

raisethehammer · #5 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 10:03 PM**

yup...that place is awesome. I had a tour once from a resident. I was taking pics on the street and he took me in to look around and show me the back courtyard. awesome building.
our federal buildings have progressively gotten worse, but at least we have 3 of them.
can't say the same for the courthouse or city hall.

fastcarsfreedom · #6 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 10:10 PM**

The old Wentworth Country Courthouse was a real loss--I like the modernist replacement (now occupied by Mac U)--but the old building was priceless. At the very least the U.E.L. sculpture in the forecourt survived--one of the most impressive and unique sculptures in the city. I love the massive trees around the court house also--I don't throw around the word "lucious" much--but those are some beautiful maples.

As for the James North "Federal Building" my mother recalls going in there in 1950s with her mother to visit a dressmaker on one of the upper floors...had a dress made with fabric bought across the street at Eaton's.

RePinion · #7 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 10:12 PM**

I've always liked the second Fed building on Main. Kind of hokey but a quality building and not cheap architecture. If restored lovingly it could be made to look beautiful ...

The new Fed was a disappointment but we could've gotten worse.

RePinion · #8 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 10:15 PM**

Old courthouse was a treasure - it was in a sort of baroque empire style wasn't it? Can't remember ... haven't seen a pic in ages.

That being so, I am happy with its internationaliist replacement, which has great proportions and is perfectly scaled for its surroundings.

RePinion · #9 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 10:39 PM**

Got this from Wiki:

"The Federal Building on James Street North, was built in 1856. It was first home to a Post office which eventually moved to the corner of King and John Streets. It was then the temporary site of the Hamilton City Hall between the years of 1888-to-1890 while the new structure on the corner of James and Market Streets was being built. In 1897, the Sun-Life Assurance Company totally renovated it for their own district offices. In 1920 it went through another major renovation which saw the addition of two more storeys. Currently it is home to the Hamilton City Ballet which takes up the entire top (5th) floor and the rest of the building is used up as residential apartments."

That kind of satisfies a bit of my curiosity though I'm still interested to know what happened in the interim from Sun Life moving to now ...

It's got such great neo-classical window surrounds on the stone portion of the building. Kind of depressing to see ratty old blinds and improvised drapes behind the glorious facade now though ...

It's such a wonder it didn't get demoed over the years ...

fastcarsfreedom · #10 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 11:52 PM**

RePinion--indeed the old Wentworth County Courthouse could probably best be described as Baroque Empire--it had a lavish exterior and the interior--from the photos I've seen, was exquisite. It's replacement was explained away at the time as being necessary due to efficiency and fire safety concerns. The columns which fronted Main Street are intact and I believe are at White Chapel Memorial Gardens along Main West near the Ancaster border--they are in the southern part of the cemetery "below" the 403. You're right about the current building on the courthouse site--it's proportions are fantastic and it is a great execution of it's particular style--glad it has survived.

As for the James North Federal Building--is it's survival really all that surprising? With the exception of the swath of demolition undertaken for Civic Square--most of the streetwall along King East and James North is intact--there has been the odd demo job--but for the most part, buildings "like" the Federal Building have survived. Sun Life I'm guessing was gone in 1920--is that when the current Sun Life building was completed at Main and James? As for the interim, I believe it was used for commercial purposes--as stated, my mother recalls a dressmaker operating there on an upper floor in the 1950s.

RePinion · #11 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 12:00 AM**

I guess in reality its survival isn't that surprising ... I was actually being somewhat ironic in tone there (i.e. just getting at the fact that so much of our worthy architecture has been obliterated over the years almost because it was worthy!)

RePinion · #12 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 12:02 AM**

I wonder what its market value would be ... just looking at the state of the building from outside, and looking at some nearby properties for sale, I would estimate < $2m.

RePinion · #13 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 12:03 AM**

... but then again it does look to have pretty healthy occupancy rate, although one wonders how much the tenants are paying ...

fastcarsfreedom · #14 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 12:11 AM**

Hamilton has lost a ton of significant architecture--yet, by the same token, a lot has survived--partly because there was such an impressive stock of buildings to start with. There have been really tragic losses--such as the Palace and Capitol in the 1970s, the Birks Building, the Courthouse, The Bank of Hamilton building in the late 1980s--even smaller examples like the original Huron & Erie (Canada Trust) branch at King and Hughson. Nonetheless there are massive blocks of buildings that have survived--from King, to James North and James South. There are stark contrasts to this--here in Windsor, our much smaller downtown has almost no remaining original buildings--the few that remain have been heavily altered or are threatened with demolition. Hamilton--as someone said recently, has bones.

Hefty downtown buildings like The Federal, Lyric (Century), Treble Hall have enormous potential--action on the Lister has the potential to revive that entire block of James south of York.

RePinion · #15 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 12:18 AM**

^ Yep ... that's certainly true. I am grateful for everything that remains.

the dude · #16 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 3:51 AM**

a boutique hotel is a great idea.

i couldn't find any old photos of the federal building online but i did find this one of the former courthouse on 'postcards of hamilton':

raisethehammer · #17 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 3:58 AM**

that thing kicks the crap out of the next courthouse (the new, old one).

RePinion · #18 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 5:03 PM**

That's a fabulous pic. Thanks.

SteelTown · #19 Posted: **Mar 1, 2008, 5:06 PM**

I think that's the Court House that George Hamilton got built by Gore Park since Barton Township got recognized as a city.

the dude · #20 Posted: **Mar 2, 2008, 3:03 AM**

^technically, i think that's our 3rd courthouse, steeltown.

the original wasn't much more than a log cabin ca.1810s.

the second was a large, attractive stone structure ca.1833. i'm sure geo hamilton had something to do with it.

the courthouse above was built in the late 1870s i believe.

they've all been located on what's called 'prince's square' though few of us ever refer to it as such.