to expand on that I wrote up a statement of Cultural significance:
Statement of Cultural Significance: The "Hamilton Garnier" Project
This is the language the Hamilton Heritage Committee uses to justify protecting a site.
1. Architectural Value:
The proposed "Hamilton Garnier" serves as a neoclassical anchor to the Beasley Neighborhood, intended to provide a visual and material contrast to the surrounding glass-and-steel "Design District." By utilizing Beaux-Arts principles—such as a defined stone podium, arched colonnades, and a grand public foyer—the building restores the "human scale" lost with the demolition of the Grand Opera House and the Tivoli Auditorium.
2. Historical Context:
The site at John and Rebecca sits on the former footprint of Hamilton’s industrial and spiritual past (The Eaton Cotton Factory). A grand cultural institution here "heals" the urban fabric by replacing a vacant utility gap with a landmark that celebrates Hamilton’s identity as a center of film, arts, and heritage architecture.
3. Functional Integration:
Unlike traditional luxury condos, this project proposes a "Thermal-Cultural Partnership." By harvesting waste heat from the Alectra Substation (currently being upgraded for the Hamilton LRT), the building would become a global model for sustainable heritage-style construction.
Proposed Zoning Amendments
Aimed at Councillor Kroetsch, the specific changes to the Downtown Hamilton Secondary Plan needed for this parcel:
- Re-Designation to "Institutional/Civic": Currently, the block is zoned for "High-Density Residential." A site-specific amendment would be required to prioritize Community/Cultural use (Assembly) as the primary function of the lot.
- Height Restriction (The "Human Scale" Cap): A proposed maximum height of 6 storeys (approx. 25 metres) for the main structure. This ensures the building acts as a "breathing room" or "light well" for the 30-storey towers at 41-61 Wilson St.
- Mandatory Step-Backs: Ensures any residential density permitted above the cultural anchor is stepped back at least 10 metres from the John Street property line to preserve the "Opera House" silhouette.
- Material Mandate: a "Traditional Materials" clause requested requiring the use of natural stone (Limestone/Sandstone) or high-quality masonry for at least 70% of the street-facing facade.
The area is becoming a monoculture of glass and needs a "Civic Podium" to survive. The Alectra substation heat exchange would be a great feature and place it on the map too, and since we lost the Gore Park buildings to neglect, we must proactively build new heritage-style landmarks to replace the lost character or we risk losing our architectural soul altogether.
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This would be classified as a "Jewel Box" Opera House—similar in density to the intimate, vertical opera houses of Italy, rather than the sprawling Paris original.
Parcel Profile: "The Hamilton Garnier" Site
Primary Addresses: 73 John Street North & 73 Hughson Street North
Boundaries: John St N (East), Hughson St N (West), Rebecca St (South), Wilson St (North).
Current Use: Surface Parking (Approx. 155 combined spots: 55 at John side, 100 at Hughson side).
Total Site Area: ~4,300 m² (1.06 Acres)
Dimensions: Approx. 50m frontage x 85m depth (spanning the full block).
Current Zoning: D1 (Downtown Central Business District) – Under Hamilton Zoning By-law 05-200 It already permits "Place of Assembly" and "entertainment" uses without a major re-zoning battle, unlike residential-only zones. It wouldn't be asking for a miracle; just a request for the city to follow its own best-use guidelines.
How does a "Hamilton Garnier" fit on 1 acre?
The Footprint: The site (4,300 m²) is roughly 35% the size of the Palais Garnier's footprint.
Seating Potential:
Using the standard theater metric (10–20 sq ft per person for auditorium + lobby + back of house):
Ground Floor Footprint: ~35,000 sq ft (leaving room for the "Garnier" setbacks and portico).
Verticality: By stacking the auditorium (orchestra + 2 balconies) like the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto:
Estimated Capacity: 1,200 – 1,500 seats.
Context: This is the perfect size as it’s larger than the Tivoli (rebuilt capacity) but more intimate than FirstOntario Concert Hall (2,193 seats), filling the exact "mid-size acoustic hall" gap Hamilton is missing.
The Alectra substation next door generates massive waste heat. A stone-clad Opera House has high thermal mass. We can pipe that waste heat directly into the radiant floors of the 'Garnier' lobby, making this the first 'Net-Zero Heritage' theatre in Canada." It solves the "expensive operating costs" argument that usually kills theatre projects.
The city is currently reconstructing Wilson Street to be more pedestrian-friendly. The "Hamilton Garnier" would provide a grand north-facing entrance that aligns with the new sidewalks, creating a "processional route" from James Street to the theatre doors. A 6-storey hard cap on this site would be ideal. In exchange, the 30-storey height of the EMBLEM towers across the street is supported. This preserves the 'view cone' for the condo owners (protecting their property values) while giving the city a "cultural living room."
Another perk is that a modern 'Hamilton Garnier' isn't just for opera; it's a digital broadcast center. With the Alectra substation next door and the fiber backbone running along John St, this building can be a global hub for live-streaming performances and e-sports, bridging our industrial past with a high-tech future.
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I am JUST presenting the Functional and Aesthetic Mandate for this site. I am leaving the specific structural engineering to the professionals, but I am here to ensure the Public Interest and Hamilton’s Heritage Identity are the foundation of their brief. While I do have planning and architects backgrounds I'd prefer to just be the visionary idea. I think it's a great idea for the plot. We’ve seen what Core Urban did with the Coppley Building. They proved what Hamiltonians want: character. I am proposing the city issue an RFP (Request for Proposals) specifically for a 'Civic Landmark' on this lot, rather than a 'standard residential sale.'.
Hey
@insertnamehere, given your insight on the D1 Zoning for the John/Rebecca block, do you think the city would entertain a Civic/Cultural RFP for the 'Alectra North' site rather than a standard residential sale? We’ve lost so much heritage; it feels like the right spot for a Garnier-scale anchor to balance the EMBLEM towers.
To summarize: Here is the vision for the Alectra North block. Instead of another surface parking lot or a 40-storey tower, we build a 6-storey civic anchor. It uses the waste heat from the Alectra substation to power the arts, provides a formal Victorian forecourt for the Beasley neighborhood, and finally 'heals' the core with world-class architecture that rivals the Palais Garnier. This layout respects the 1-acre footprint. It shows a high-density "Jewel Box" theatre that leaves 50% of the lot for the park, proving to Councillor Kroetsch and the BNA that we don't have to choose between a landmark and green space.
