When you walk in the door of CBC's new Hamilton location on 118
James Street North, it is hard not to be distracted by the past.
From the lovingly restored beveled glass transom to the rough
cut wood floor and tin ceiling, the remnants of another era recall
the grand history of Steeltown's downtown.
That a new kind of journalism will launch from the first floor
of the former Dominion Furniture store symbolizes CBC Hamilton -- deep
respect for the past but also a fresh face and eyes on the future.
CBC Hamilton will be unlike any other CBC location in Canada, based in a building with a 120-year past.
Along the front face of the building -- above the three 7-foot-five-inch by 7-foot windows -- sits a remarkable panel of restored beveled glass.
The panel was an unexpected find when the building underwent major restoration a couple of years ago.
In the early 1970s, the building's brick front and windows were
covered over with white aluminum siding.
But in 2010, when workers
peeled back the corrugated metal they uncovered a 20-metre stretch of
decorative glass from the 1920s. The 900 glass panes were black from the
passage of time. It took 400 hours of work by local craftsmen to bring
the glass back to life.
In a
recent story by The Spectator's Mark McNeil, glass restoration expert Larry Taylor explained the painstaking work.
"We took each panel down, wrapped it up in cellophane, numbered and documented it," Taylor told the Spec.
Taylor and his wife, Carolyn also took each panel apart, replaced the metal and scrubbed each piece of salvageable glass.
Maple floor dates back 120 years
The floor inside the 2,200-square-foot CBC office is even older
than the glass above the front windows. The rough cut boards date back
120 years to the time the building was built. The wood is maple.
"It's an odd cut. Those cuts are not available anymore because the
old growth forests are gone," says Bill Curran, one of the building
owners and Principal of TCA Architects.
The floor bears the signature of the industrial era before concrete
floors were used and you can see evidence of the movement of metal
wheels and carts across it.
But if scarred wood is a sign of the building's connection to
Hamilton's industrial history, the high tin ceiling is a link to the
city's commercial boom years. Curran thinks the ceiling was probably
part of a 1924 renovation.
"The ceiling is a sign of affluence, says Curran, whose 10-member team occupies the third floor of the building.
"At the time a tin ceiling was very expensive. Dominion Furniture
was a high-end furniture store. It was a successful and long running
store. They sold fine furniture to a well-heeled crowd."
The word "Toronto" stenciled in blue on the back sides of a few pieces indicates where the tiles were made.
The pressed tin has an ornate pattern and carefully considered Cornish trim.
"It showed affluence and a love of quality. There was a pride in creating a venerable business and showing it off," says Curran.
Another piece of the building's history is literally seared into
the tin. A fire in the boiler room on the north side of the building
many years ago was so hot many of the grey tin pieces turned bronze in
the blaze.
The white paint on the ceiling tiles is being removed and another
piece of the history of 118 James Street North will be displayed when
CBC Hamilton opens its doors this spring.
Roger Gillespie is the executive producer of CBC Hamilton.
