[flar]

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[flar]

Hamilton has tons of this type of housing. In the photos above I avoided areas I've covered in other tours, so for completeness, here are some other styles found in the inner city of Hamilton:

 

[ganjavih]

As Ronald McDonald would say, I'm Lovin' It.

 

[ShonTron]

I'm now thinking that Hamilton is to Toronto as Baltimore is to Washington.

Both Baltimore and Hamilton are underrated and very interesting, both with steel as a major part of their economy, both with strong regional identies and an uneven rivalry. Except Baltimore has the full service (yet underused) airport and far better rail service, though in both cases, the potential is there.

The housing vernacular in Hamilton is unique to Ontario, much like the marble stoops and rowhouses of Baltimore. I love the 1920s/1930s walk-ups with the embellishments and the balconies. Plus rowhousing seems to be a very Hamilton thing, even the upper-middle class rowhouses around Durand.

And Hamilton should get an NHL team.


Yes, my visit to Baltimore made a big impression on me.

 

[doady]

I think this is the ideal urban environment: rowhouses and mid-rise apartments everywhere. This is exactly how my cities in SimCity are like. There is no need for high-rises.

 

[jaborandi]

I love the distinct orange brick in Hamilton. Seems to have more zip than the Toronto equivalent. The view of Hamilton in the snow from the Mountain must have been quite dazzling when those buildings were new.

 

[CDL.TO]

Great pics. Any of those photos from the first post could have been in Toronto. Talk about a city with "good bones"! Too bad the political establishment has no idea of the value of what they've got.

 

[flar]

The only people who seem to appreciate Hamilton are newcomers (such as myself) and people from other places. Many people in Hamilton are prepared to raze the entire lower city. I wish I could afford to buy entire blocks, renovate them and sell them like condos.

 

[Observer Walt]

Flar, I think that's an astute comment. Many Hamilton natives are down on the city as a routine matter. Looking at the political environment, there has admittedly been some reason for the attitude, as the city has underachieved in recent years. It's frustrating to see the unrealized potential.

Your pictures continue to capture the character of the city. You've shown the charm, and the grit, of the brick lower city.

I also think Doady's comment is appropriate. There are all kinds of rowhouses and low-rise apartments in Hamilton, although admittedly the area just southwest of downtown certainly is a concentrated high-rise neighbourhood. Hamilton has a fairly high density without a lot of high-rise buildings, on average.

 

[Chuck]

While there's no question that areas like this are pedestrian friendly and visually attractive, these homes have a lot in common with modern day Vaughan style sprawl in several ways.

Dozens of homes on each street are identical in every possible way. Large tracts of land simultaneously developed within a short period of time. Most importantly, there's nothing about these pictures that prevents them from having been taken in at least 50 other southern Ontario or northeastern US cities.

 

[flar]

Chuck: While it's quite true that these are mainly identical, quickly built homes for workers, their solid construction stands the test of time better than the homes in Vaughan will. Even though many of the Hamilton houses are in a state of disrepair, they're still solid and would be worth renovating. 75 years from now the houses in Vaughan will not be worth saving.

On the other hand, name one Ontario city other than Toronto that has neighbourhoods like these. NE US has tons of course.



EDIT:
SeanTrans: Baltimore seems underrated to me too. I haven't been there but I've seen lots of pics.

 

[junctionist]

Chuck: While it's quite true that these are mainly identical, quickly built homes for workers, their solid construction stands the test of time better than the homes in Vaughan will. Even though many of the Hamilton houses are in a state of disrepair, they're still solid and would be worth renovating. 75 years from now the houses in Vaughan will not be worth saving.

On the other hand, name one Ontario city other than Toronto that has neighbourhoods like these. NE US has tons of course.



EDIT:
SeanTrans: Baltimore seems underrated to me too. I haven't been there but I've seen lots of pics.

Back then, the brick wasn't just there for ornamentation, and these houses are indeed built better. Perhaps the future holds even cheaper house construction, or none at all. It might all be high rise, and the remaining established low rise neighbourhoods that have just been built in today's suburbia will be desirable. If the architecture won't be desirable, I'm sure they'll have entire prebuilt facades at hardware stores .

 

[Redroom Studios]

famtastic stuff Flar! I love seeing Hamilton through your eyes. Nice job on those panorama shots you did - works so well on rows of houses! Just wondering if they were multiple shots stiched together or do you have an ultra wide angle lens?

 

[flar]

Several of them are stitched, many of the streets are quite narrow even for a wide lens. A fisheye lens would be fun here though.

 

[allabootmatt]

Flar, I think that's an astute comment. Many Hamilton natives are down on the city as a routine matter.

Same is true of Toronto, where it's almost always the newcomers who see the magic and try to make things even better while the natives moan about the place. Only difference is, way more newcomers to TO than the Hammer.