Hess Village
 

I figured Hess deserves it's own thread.
Hamilton's most popular district and by far the coolest spot in Southern Ontario (some would say 'outisde of TO', others say it's the coolest including TO).
Patio season is here and this is ground zero in the Hammer.

One of my fave spots - the Gown and Gavel - seems to be undergoing a huge reno. Right back to the studs. As of this morning (April 18) it doesn't look anywhere close to being done. Anyone know what's happening?

To be honest in a Hess vs. Entertainment District Battle

I think Hess wins. I feel like punching the entertainment district sideways for how terrible it now is.

yea, I think I agree. I was there last week. It's no Hess.
Hess is so unique in it's layout where the patios and eateries rule the streetscape, not traffic.
The cobblestone is awesome, the trees are great and the people are amazing.
I've never found anything like it in all of Ontario.

I like the layout of Hess and George streets and the adaptive use of the buildings, but find most of the clubs there are bullshit. The closest I get to Hess during party time is at the eat-a-pita around 2:00 am when all the meatheads are crowding the place. Last time I was in one of the dance clubs I got kicked out. That said, Doors and Che are my favourite spots in Hess.

Do u mean Richmond/John, Retro?

I actually go to 'The District' a lot and am not a big fan either. But I don't like Hess really... although I love the concept!

Rooftop patios... the new wave for outdoor eateries/pubs. I REALLY hope this catches on in the Hammer!

Hamilton was always the place to go for Entertainment, hence Toronto was called 'Hogtown'... we need to win this title back!

Yeah I mean Richmond and John area.

Hess functions as something more than a stomping ground for 905 brats.

Hess is still a bit problematic but at least it isn't urban blight.

I wouldn't call Richmond/John 'urban blight'. I'd happily lay that streetscape down along Main Street in Hamilton in a heartbeat! haha.

My fave Hess spots are G&G, Koi, Ceilid House (sp??) and Che.

Friend of mine is a waitress at Gown and Gavel so I've gotten a few free drinks haha.

man, you know everyone!
try to find out what's going on there and when it'll be re-opened.
just heading out for a 'date' with my wife. would have loved to start at G&G tonight, but we'll do Augusta St instead.

i'd love to see a few things happen to hess: more restaurants; a cafe or two; maybe a bookstore; couple more art galleries; a hotel; and most importantly, close hess to traffic, if only for a few hours in the evening - no need to have it open at night.

Ceilidh House all the way. They've got the best scotch selection in the city.

Ceilidh House on St. Patrick's Day is something else.

Ceilidh House when the Westdale ladies are allowed out ain't bad either.

Proclaimers play impromptu show in Hess Village

TheSpec.com

The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 19, 2008)
The Proclaimers -- the Scottish duo behind the hit I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), and who ruled the airwaves in the early '90s -- performed an impromptu concert in Hess Village yesterday afternoon.

The pair were in town filming a show with MuchMusic and are in concert tonight, April 19 at the Hamilton Convention Centre. Show time is 9 p.m.


Tickets are available through www.hecfi.on.ca

http://www.thespec.com/videogallery/356958

The best part of the video was when they proclaim that the dude that needed to get by was like a Hells Angel on a Scouter. In the next scene they almost get run off the sidewalk by the dude in the motorized scouter.

No, this isn't true at all. To be painfully pedantic, Toronto was called "Hogtown" because at one time it was the centre of Canada's pork rendering industry. Hamilton certainly wasn't regarded as a superior cultural destination in any sense. In fact, both cities have historically had rather dismal entertainment scenes.

I generally agree with the observations that Hess is a preferable destination to the 905-dominated entertainment district in Toronto, but the entertainment district is far from being an accurate representation of Toronto night life as a whole.

From what I gather, Hamilton has a rather interesting entertainment history especially when it comes to music. A lot of the big stars used to come to Hamilton for a good time because things were a little looser here than up in Toronto.

Interesting to note that Hess Village, the only pedestrian zone in the city, is perhaps the most successful commercial area in the core. A fine example of how pedestrian zones can (and do) work well, even in heavily car-dependant cities like Hamilton.

ceilidh house:
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa121/the_dude1974/IMG_0320.jpg

actually, Hamilton was considered a much more cultured city and destination for many years back in our heyday.
I'll dig up some great pieces I've read in the past highlighting our A&E scene and how performers would always prefer the Hammer over Hogtown.

^rompin' ronny hawkins...need i say more?

So I tried to get some info on Gown and Gavel but she doesn't work there anymore as she's pregnant.

I swear within the year I must have had at least 5 friends, co-worker, etc get pregnant. Must be the age that I am or could the birth rate is increasing. I've been to three baby showers within a year, it's insane.

Hess Village is a good example but it has been there for over 35 years and has gone through some rough times. It has only come into it's own in the last 10 or so years and the last 5 or 6 years has been a target of people with money, vision and the will to make it happen the right way. A lot of people still drive there. Just check out the parking lots around there at night.

Right, it is a fairly successful pedestrian zone, but it would languish if traffic was completely cut off. And the other poster is bang on: check out the parking lots around Hess--they're always packed. It's going to take quite some time to acculturate Hamiltonians to leaving their cars at home (particularly when carousing). However, a spiffy light rail system will no doubt substantially help.

check out the parking rates at those surrounding lots at night too.
more money than the $2.00 parking in the eastern area of downtown around king william.
nobody is saying that people won't drive to a pedestrianized Gore...some will.
and they'll put more money in the city's coffers by paying a more reasonable rate since they're coming to a highly-sought after district for the night and not a downtown with way more parking than it needs.

i can't imagine a scenario where hess would suffer if it were completely pedestrianized. there's no parking on hess st anyway. i say close it and allow people to move about the area without concern for traffic. as already pointed out, there's plenty of parking around the periphery.

new website for G&G. nothing there yet.

www.gownandgavel.ca

^^ Wow. I had no idea that it was like a complete over-haul? Maybe the last owner wanted out of the business after what happened with his one business partner (Vranich Jr).

They had better open up soon before they risk missing too much of patio season!

I pray it's still as good as it was (hopefully cheaper?). G&G was/is my fave Hess spot!

it won't be cheaper...I can't see prices dropping after this reno.
but yes, they'd better get it open soon. the long range forecast looks awesome!

I haven't yet had the opportunity to spend any time in Hess Village, but I found this letter to the editor in today's Spectator to be interesting. There was a time when designated drivers would get free non-alcoholic drinks like pop, juice, etc.

Colin and Carol Bain
The Hamilton Spectator
Caledonia
(May 20, 2008)
My son went to a bar in Hamilton on a Friday night this month.

He was the "designated driver" for the evening and was out with his girlfriend and about 12 of their friends. They went to a bar in Hess Village.

My son was asked to leave the bar because he was not drinking any alcoholic beverages. The owner put his hand on my son's shoulder and told him he had to leave.

When my son explained that he was the designated driver and could not have any alcoholic beverages, the owner told him that they were at capacity and unless he was going to buy alcohol, he would have to leave the premises.

My son left and so did all of his friends.

In this day and age, I find this totally unbelievable as well as totally irresponsible on the part of this bar.

We raise our children to know that drinking and driving is absolutely unacceptable and we expect them to abide by this law.

In hindsight, perhaps he could have purchased a drink and given it to one of his friends who was not driving but there is something so wrong with this situation.

I know that bars are in the business of making a profit off of the drinks they serve, but to blatantly and forcefully tell someone that they have to leave because they are not drinking (because they are driving) is so wrong that it makes me furious.

I would love to know if other parents have heard their adult children talk of experiences like this.

I would also like to know what, if anything, can be done about it.

Could he not have purchased a non alcoholic drink or water on his own? THis situation seems grossly unlikely.

Apparently not. Why the hell didn't the kid just get a Pepsi?

I would have left at that point just out of spite. They can shove the pepsi up their ass.

I'm usually the designated driver and so I typically get 7 Up or Spirit, as it looks like an alcoholic beverage and therefore they don't bother me lol.

What conceivable reason is there for allowing vehicular traffic on Hess between King and Main save for allowing for the pageantry of flash cars and Harley Davidsons as they do their pretentious parade at 5 km/h?

That this stretch of Hess hasn't long been pedestrian only is somewhat ridiculous. And here's a brainwave for people who claim that it's a vital part of the pipeline for people coming from the mountain who want to get to King or York: make Queen two-way again.

Found out that the Gown and Gavel renovation is worth $500,000.00.

^^ Wowsers! That's a big reno! Hopefully the bulk went to the inside! It was so dark and crowded in there!

the patio is brand new. All concrete now and raised up like many others in Hess.

Has anyone been to Sizzle Steakhouse? The menu looks great. I'm going to check it out.
www.sizzlenights.ca

Agreed on the look of 24 Hess ("pub-like" as a put-down). Modernizing the space was probably a big part of it. But I think that neighbouring 30 Hess, which was never really used aside from staff/admin and which seems to have been completely gutted, will have eaten up a healthy share of the budget. It looks like they (sensibly) want to make that into a secondary bar area, which could (guestimating here) bring their capacity up by a couple hundred.

The raised patio phenom is partly the byproduct of the high-capacity reality of Hess... it's hard to people-watch if you're shoulder-to-shoulder at eye level. Once one place does it, it has a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses domino effect. The psychological dynamic is also a draw (pop analysis to follow): the elevation creates a symbolic incentive to climb, pay the cover, whatever... the street is for peons.

Sizzle's probably the most ambitious reno to date in Hess, probably three times what the Gown's budget was. They raised the roof (literally), changed pretty much everything onsite except the front facade. The upstairs club gets going around 10pm on weekends, and the dinner crowd seems to roll in between 7 and 9. The menu is indeed tasty (same chef as Koi), though they seem to want to fancy a steak up more than is necessary with reductions, sauces and crusts.

Welcome to the Carlsberg years.

It's best to just accept it quietly.

Chump change compared to the London Tap House. Between 3 and 4 million. :crazy2:

the gown is looking good though.
I actually like the old interior..I hope they don't make it too modern.

I think that ongoing upgrades is just the nature of nightlife, though -- if you want to stay competitive, you need to offer the best, brightest, newest, most stylish. The Manhattan Complex (Up Lounge, Sky, Sundried Tomatoes, Blue Devil) was basically the London Tap House without the rooftop patioo and the production values. And because it was ratty, it was always a second-tier entry. The Gown was the alpha pub for so long that it got a bit complacent, and was overtaken by evolution (the arrival of nightclub production values over the last several years) and competitors who were hungrier, savvier and quicker to innovate. That shift has impacted downtown clubs as well. Where Hess was once a pub-dominated district that went virtually dead in the winter, it's now a year-round draw and a sponge for student dollars... so downtown clubs are competing against Hess as much as each other. The Tap House's $3-4m is a product of the structural hurdles of taking over that building and installing a rooftop patio, but also a consequence of having to make a mark in a lively market.

I think it also reflects the Hamilton market. If downtown was dead you wouldn't see people investing hundreds of thousands and millions into their facilities as well as new facilities moving into the core.
Those of us who live here have known this for a long time and have had it confirmed by folks who own the Corktown, Honest Lawyer, LTH, KOI/Sizzle etc....
the best is yet to come...next few years should be interesting.

I never suggested downtown was dead, just that the nightclub environment was competitive, which should be non-controversial. Yes, the investments are obviously more a than two-pronged consideration, and the investment metric of downtown, whether as a vital and evolving entity or just a compelling real estate value, is part of it. The standards of the groups cited are also part of it: Corktown carries the Slainte banner, LTH and Honest Lawyer are franchises, and Koi/Sizzle is an evolution of the core club consortium – they, along with Funky Munky/Diavolo/33 Hess arose from Fever, since closed. The same group operated at various points in the past in the old Odeon space (The Ballroom) and the Main and James Bank of Montreal (Puzzle). They, along with LTH/Honest Lawyer (and, to a lesser extent, Slainte/Corktown) are nightclubs of various scales and ambitions. If you get into that industry, you have to provide a certain level of production value, and you have to keep revamping every so often just to keep your audience interested. The Richmond strip is familiar enough to many 905ers -- and that's another part of the dynamic. If you want to retain thse dollars, you need to aim higher. Which is part of why Hess is starting to go vertical. Although Hess investments would be lucrative regardless of what's happening in the core. The money that is generated by a nightclub working at capacity usually dwarfs the money going into renovations.

Also: Agreed, the next few years should be extremely interesting.

FYI...thistleclub, I wasn't suggesting that you said downtown was dead.
I was simply referring to the naysayers in town who constantly say that.
sorry for the confusion.

No harm, no foul.

BTW, another core development that I haven't seen mentioned on the board is Saffron, the Mediterranean wine bar that's just opened on the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza in the former Amores space. Looks pretty polished, and I think they're open for breakfast ($8-14ish items).

wow...I didn't even know about it. i'll have to check it out.

good Hess Village video here by the Spec.
Also, Gown and Gavel is open now.

http://www.thespec.com/videogallery/415175