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Your browser may not support display of this image.April 21, 2009
Ms. Joan MacDonald
Sandyford Place, President
43 Duke Street, Suite 3
Hamilton, ON
L8P 1X2
Dear Ms. MacDonald,
RE: Renovations of Sandyford Place by Parks Canada
I am writing on behalf of the Durand Neighbourhood Association (“DNA”),
which represents the residents of the Durand neighbourhood where
Sandyford Place is located. The Durand neighbourhood is the inner-city
district bound by Main Street West, James Street South, the Escarpment
and Queen Street South in Hamilton, Ontario. There are approximately
12,000 Hamiltonians living in our neighbourhood that is made up of a
great diversity of residents.
The DNA represents the interests of this diverse community. It is our
vision to be an active, resident-based voice that successfully
addresses priority issues affecting the neighbourhood to nurture a
vibrant downtown community.
The DNA was established in 1972 as a politically independent community
organization and chartered as a not-for-profit provincial corporation.
The impetus for the creation of the DNA in the early 1970s was due to
the apparent lack of control over building demolition and high-rise
development.
Few city centres in Canada can boast of as great a variety of
architecturally-distinguished historic residences as those in the
Hamilton’s Durand neighbourhood. Although the largest estates were
subdivided long ago and some imposing mansions have been torn down,
many fine 19th- and early 20th-century homes still fringe the
tree-shaded streets rising from the heart of downtown to the foot of
the Niagara Escarpment.
In the early 1970s the survival of the remaining heritage residences
had become precarious. Faced with continuously mounting expenses of
heating, taxes and upkeep, they were increasingly vulnerable to
deterioration. In the prevailing climate favouring high-rise
development, they too could soon become demolition targets.
Sandyford Place seemed particularly exposed to demolition. Sandyford
Place, as you know, is one of Canada’s finest surviving
pre-Confederation terrace blocks. Originally built for wealthy
merchants, it was long since divided into multiple apartment units and
was in a sorry state of neglect and threatened with demolition to be
replaced by a high rise. Called “the anchor for historic preservation
in the Durand neighbourhood”, this stately three-story limestone
building was constructed between 1856 and 1864 by Scottish stonemason
Donald Nicholson on the former estate of Peter Hunter Hamilton,
half-brother if the City’s founder, George Hamilton. With great help
from the DNA and the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory
Committee (“LACAC”), on August 25th, 1976, Sandyford Place was the
first building in Hamilton to be designated under the Ontario Heritage
Act, the new provincial heritage legislation at the time.
Soon thereafter, Sandyford Place was designated by the federal Minister
of the Environment as the city’s first National Historic Site of
Canada. A large restoration and renovation of Sandyford Place began in
1977 that took close to five years to complete. Sandyford’s restoration
quickly became the model for saving other stately homes in the Durand
neighbourhood, whose upkeep had become so prohibitively expensive that
they were in danger of falling into decay resulting in their being torn
down. Their future became more assured after the City, with the support
of the DNA, lifted restrictions that prohibited conversion of these
large residences into apartments. Owners found it economically
worthwhile to fix them up and, in some instances, to take advantage of
government grants to turn their buildings into high-end condominiums.
Thirty-two years later, Sandyford Place requires restoration work of
approximately $200,000. It is our understanding that as of March 2008,
National Historic Sites of Canada, such as Sandyford Place, are
administered by Parks Canada. Part of Parks Canada mandate is to ensure
the integrity of these Sites for present and future generations. This
is done through the extension of grant money.
Sandyford Place is a vital piece of architecture, not only for the City
of Hamilton and the province, but for all of Canada. The DNA supports
the proposed restoration of the building and implores Parks Canada to
award the grant money to Sandyford Place.
Thank you. Please do not hesitate to contact the writer should you have
any questions or concerns.
Yours very truly,
Sarah Matthews, President
Durand Neighbourhood Association
president@durandna.com