hkskyline's 2023 in HAMILTON, Ontario

[hkskyline]

Tourists may not have Hamilton high on their radar as they pass by en route from Toronto to Niagara Falls. The city's image had long been mired by its heavy industry as you see the ugly steelworks driving past on the QEW, but this city of about 800,000 people is not just a commuter town, but also worth visiting for its mix of history, lakefront, and waterfalls.

As a day trip from Toronto, consider going on the weekend to utilize the very affordable GO Weekend Pass for unlimited travel on their suburban network.































More photos on my website : Hamilton Photo Gallery

[ColDayMan]

Thanks!

[BnaBreaker]

Hamilton > Mississauga

Definitely one of the more overlooked sizable cities in Canada/US!! Thanks for the photos!

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures! But why did you include Niagara Falls in with Toronto, and separate Hamilton out? Why not separate Niagara Falls out?

Are these from a drone? I assume so.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

HAMILTON is all right, all HAMILTON, Ontario need is a good angle, an icon angle to show the highlights of the skyline.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures! But why did you include Niagara Falls in with Toronto, and separate Hamilton out? Why not separate Niagara Falls out?

Are these from a drone? I assume so.

That's a good question. I didn't think I had enough material to have a dedicated Niagara Falls thread, but I took quite a lot in Hamilton with both my drone and camera.

[hkskyline]

Hamilton's historic Victorian shopping area was demolished from the end of the 1960s and turned into an enclosed block with offices, shops, and more. The farmers' market moved to its current location in 1980, and was renovated in 2011 to add plumbing for all stalls and installing the restored Birk's Clock.









































More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hamilton.htm

[hkskyline]

Central Elementary School opened in 1853 as Hamilton's only public school, accommodating 1000 students. The school's creation is credited to Egerton Ryerson, the province's chief superintendent of education. He was the founder of the public school system to offer free education, funded by property taxes.





The Whitehern Historic House was the McQuesten family's home between 1852 and 1968, which incorporates elements from Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras.



St. Paul's Presbyterian Church was established in 1833. What we see today was built in the 1850s to replace the original facility with grey stone from local quarries.





So far during my walk, I haven't felt safe as the neighbourhood is full of homeless and crazy folks wandering the streets and camped out at parking lots. Nevertheless, there seems to be gentrification under way.



















The Lister Block was a reconstruction after a 1923 winter fire by J. Edmund Lister, the son of of Joseph Lister who built the original building. When the first building came up, James Street in front of it was not desirable as the neighbouring John Street was vying to be Hamilton's business street. By the 1990s, downtown was in decline and demolition threats rose, but luckily it was restored instead and repurposed as the city government's offices.











More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hamilton.htm

[hkskyline]

A long walk along James Street North from downtown but only a short bus ride away is Hamilton's waterfront. While the steelworks dominate the coastline near the QEW, this section called West Harbour is a huge public space with a marina and a historic warship museum.

Pier 8 was transformed into a waterfront park with art installations, a playground, beach, and performance areas. Copps Pier Park was named after the Copps family for their work in improving water quality and giving public access to the waterfront. Construction finished in 2022.





















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hamilton.htm

[xzmattzx]

Great pictures so far!

[hkskyline]

The city plans to transform this stretch of waterfont into a new community which will add $9 million in taxes every year. Development will span 15-20 years and include a 45-sorey condo tower, the tallest building in the city.



























More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hamilton.htm

[geomorph]

The redevelopment on the waterfront looks good so far!

[hkskyline]

Dundurn was built in the 1830s on the site of a fortified military base from the War of 1812. Overlooking Burlington Bay, it was Sir Allan Napier MacNab's home with his daughters, wife, and sister-in-law. He was a politician, railroad tycoon, and land speculator who helped suppress the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 and served as Premier from 1854-6.









There was plenty of marble walls on the ground floor, but is it really marble? It's actually painted on!







Sir Allan sure knows how to impress visitors. Once they come in through the main door, they turn 90 degrees to the right to see the head of the house descend down the stairs in grand style.





















MacNab's daughter, Sophia, is a direct ancestor of Camilla Parker-Bowles. She became the trustee of the estate following his death and sold Dundurn to Donald MacInnes. The city bought the castle in 1899 for $50,000 and restored it into a tourist attraction.

















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hamilton.htm

[Wigs]

Thanks for the photos! I have yet to check this place out. At one time Hamilton was allegedly rumored to be in the running as Ontario's provincial capital.

Originally Posted by hkskyline

There was plenty of marble walls on the ground floor, but is it really marble? It's actually painted on!

It might be scagliola, a centuries old technique to create the look of marble. I remember the Lafayette Hotel in Buffalo, NY has marble on walls at the bottom and then scagliola above that fools the eye into thinking it's all marble.
https://www.1stdibs.com/blogs/the-study/scagliola/

See ~3:48 mark into this video of the Buffalo Hotel that was under Restoration (video from 2013). In person it looks much better/more impressive than the poor quality video recording.
• Video Link