Sketchy Friday: The Lister Block

This is The Lister Block (or at least a portion of it).  Located at the corner of James Street North and King William, The Lister is considered one of downtown Hamilton's most important buildings.  Originally a 4 floor building constructed in 1886 by James Lister, it was destroyed by fire in 1923 and then quickly rebuilt in 1924, this time with 6 floors.  It is said to be Canada's first indoor commercial mall.

Though I've looked at the building hundreds of times in my lifetime, after sketching it, I feel like I've now truly seen it for the first time.  Never before did I appreciate the incredible terra cotta and copper detailing that adorns the building.  Just look at the glazed terra cotta swirls and shells that run along the cornice.  Amazing!

The historic photo and key plan below show how Lister and the surrounding blocks looked in 1954.  Just look at those bustling streets filled with shoppers.  Back then, the Lister was located across the street from City Hall and Hamilton's main public space - Market Square.  However, just like most North American cities, Hamilton's downtown began to decline around the time this photo was taken.  (in the key plan, the Lister Block has been shaded orange and the green arrow shows the vantage point that the photo was taken from).

Fast forward to 2010 and, as you can see from this photo, the Lister was in a deep state of decay.  Boarded up and abandoned, many viewed the building as emblematic of the entire downtown.  The drastic changes that took place downtown are apparent from the key plan.  Gone are the old City Hall across the street and Market Square.  These were replaced in the 1970s by a massive renewal project (Jackson Square - the large balck and grey mass at the top left of the key plan).  Though the project was supposed to reverse downtown decline, most agree today that it only served to accelerate it.

One need only to search 'Lister Block' on Flickr to see just how deep a state of decay the building was in on the inside.  Here is one photo from Blasphemy, madness, Hamburgers:

Abandoned, spray painted, and flooded - looking at this photo it's hard to believe that the Lister could ever be saved.  But, after over a year of restoration and renovations, Lister has undergone an incredible transformation and has just about been returned to its former glory.  Soon, the upper floors will house offices for a number of municipal departments while the ground floor will become home to the city's tourism office and a number of other retail tenants.

I've been in the building a few times recently for work and though I can't share the transformation just yet, I can assure you that its beauty will blow you away!

Sketchy (Good) Friday: Central Presbyterian Church

I know, I know...two weeks ago I said I'd post a sketch each Friday.  Clearly, I failed last Friday...but today is another story.  For the first time in I don't know how long, I sketched a building.  Man am I rusty!!  I probably shouldn't have posted those sketches I did in Rome because this one pales in comparison.  No matter, it's a start.

Being that it's Good Friday, I figured it would be appropriate to sketch one of the beautiful churches in our neighbourhood.  I chose Central Presbyterian Church by famed Ontario architect, John M. Lyle:



Lyle grew up in Hamilton but trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.  After graduation, he practised in New York City for a while where he was involved in the design for the New York Public Library. 

In 1905 he returned to Ontario and set up his own practise.  During his career he designed such notable buildings as the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Union Station in Toronto.  In 1908, he designed Central Presbyterian.  It's not surprising that he was chosen as the building's architect - his father was the pastor at Central.

Over 100 years later, the church remains a landmark in Hamilton's Durand neighbourhood.  At night, the church's spire is illuminated, making it an easy landmark to spot.

Sketchy Fridays

In the fall of 2007 I had the chance to live in Rome, studying architecture for 4 months (hey, don't make fun).  While there, we were required to keep a sketchbook and produce at least 1 drawing per day.  It was a daunting task.  Like most of my classmates, I got into architecture school because I loved to draw....but also like most of my classmates, the rigour of 4 years of architecture school had left little time for drawing, painting etc.  I was rusty, and my first few sketches showed it.  But, as the weeks and months went by, I improved.

The best part of sketching daily was the memories it created.  While I had intended to keep a daily journal while in Rome, I barely made it past the first week of entries.  Instead, my sketchbook became my visual journal.  For each sketch, I can remember so many details - from the weather that day, to what I was eating while sketching, who I was with, and even what we did before and after.

Here are three of my favourites.  They currently live on a plate rail in our Dining Room.

Trajan's Forum.

Piazza Santa Marie in Trastevere (my school is located on the second floor of the building in the background)

Il Colosseo (The Coliseum)

Sadly, I haven't sketched much since Rome...but, I plan to start.  After all, Citify is about love of the city, and for me, drawing the city = loving the city.  So, it's time to start sketching Hamilton.  The plan is to post a sketch each Friday - if I managed one a day in Rome, how hard can one a week be?  We'll see....

-Kyle

ps - the frames were another great find from Tessa's grandmother...man, did we ever score some good stuff from her!