You will recall that Mayor Fred fought hard to salvage the deal for its restoration, believing that the iconic building would make an invaluable contribution to the face lift that the core desperately needed (needs).
Mayor Elect Bratina was quoted in The Spec as saying "I'm glad the building is being restored, but the cost is way out of line,” he said. “I never supported spending that much money on it.”
Upon reflection, do you think that the Lister was well worth the expense? Will it fulfill the expectations some have set upon it? Or will it be just another pretty face?
Mayor DiIanni played a pivotal role in the rehabilitation of the Lister block....as did many others. Time will tell, of course, but I am confident that this effort will have very positive spin off impacts on James Street North and King William streets...possibly wider too. The costs of this effort will not be exorbitant compared to the costs of demolition and a new building put in.
ReplyDeleteHeritage buildings in the downtown core are not a negative .. abandoned and/or vacant buildings are the problem.
JBH, I agree with everything you say, except Di Ianni was not pivotal in the restoration of the Lister. Quite the opposite. If it had been up to him, the Lister would have been torn down and replaced with an ersatz 'replica'. Brian McHattie saved the Lister by going directly to the province. He was vilified by Di Ianni at the time, but has clearly been vindicated.
ReplyDeleteI would agree about Brian McHattie. That said, when the debate was raging and was very divisive in the community, Mayor DiIanni very wisely set up a community task force with representatives from the heritage community, LIUNA and others to examine all aspects of the matter. (I was asked to serve on this by Mayor DiIanni and did so). The meetings were intense and often heated, but much was accomplished by frank dialogue, good will, and exchange of important information. The exercise was worthwhile. You are right on in that Mayor DiIanni needed convincing, as did the LIUNA people. And you are right on again regarding Brian McHattie's importance in the matter, very good man he is! I'm sure that there will be critics but, I say, just wait until it's done!
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to get into the politics of it but I'm glad That the Lister Block was saved! Being a life long resident of this Wonderful city I remember the Lister in its glory days! There is no question our heritage bldgs must be preserved wherever possible because that is exactly what they are Our Heritage! I don't live in the core but on a recent walk down James street north on a sunny fall day it was nice to see the street is rebounding & becoming vibrant again! The restored Lister block can only add to the revitalization of the street!This is one project where I can say well done to all involved!
ReplyDeleteIt would be foolish to say spending money on the Lister Block is worth it without assessing what else could have been done with the money.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure - it is going to be occupied by government staff who are currently being accomodated elsewhere. This means vacancies will be created in other buildings which will be similarly threatened in future.
I would have preferred if the building was made available to fledgling and innovative businesses at a discount to encourage and stimulate a new node of urban economic activity.
In its derelict state, the Lister Block was a symbol of the conscious dereliction of duty by our civic politicians, and building and planning staff over the past 25 years. In its new state, the Lister Block becomes a metaphor for the utter bankruptcy of ideas in Hamilton, exemplifying the profligate nature of municipal and provincial spending of taxpayers money.