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Music Hall of Fame announcement on tap

HAMILTON - Months of waiting are finally over for those hoping to lure the Canadian Music Hall of Fame to Hamilton.

The Canadian Academy of Reording Arts and Sciences will announce Tuesday morning whether it will be built in Hamilton or Toronto.

Developer Jasper Kujavsky has proposed building the Music Hall of Fame on Pier-8.

CARAS officials will announce the reasons for their decision during a media conference in Toronto.

lol, Toronto or Hamilton, does it even matter which they choose?. What happened to Winnipeg?

Winnipeg dropped out since they missed the deadline.

lol, Toronto or Hamilton, does it even matter which they choose?. What happened to Winnipeg?

YES IT DOES!!!

:)

Damn it Steeltown, I thought this was an announcement of the verdict.... I can't wait a whole friggin day

bad news.... link (http://www3.junoawards.ca/HOF_bid.php)

Permanent Home Announced For New Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Downtown Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas to be bricks and mortar site

TORONTO, May 17, 2005 – The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) today announced that Toronto has been selected to host the site of the new Canadian Music Hall of Fame (CMHF). The location of the new building will be the intersection of Yonge and Dundas, in the heart of the recently re-developed downtown Toronto core that attracts more than 50 million people annually.

A complex combination of factors resulted in intense deliberation over the competing sites. The highest consideration was given to the site that could best showcase Canada's rich musical history to the widest possible audience.

"This is a great addition to Toronto’s already vibrant downtown core, and to the City at large," said Mayor David Miller. "It’s important to pay tribute to Canada’s musical legends, and we’re thrilled to have Toronto as the host for such a venue."

"All the proposals were unique and represented a diversity of ideas and suggestions -- but Toronto clearly illustrated the greatest potential for site traffic," said Ross Reynolds, Chairman of CARAS and Chair of the CMHF Committee. "We would also like to acknowledge the City of Hamilton and the people behind the Hamilton bid, in particular Jasper Kujavsky. His contributions have been instrumental in making the CMHF a reality."

"Since last June when we asked for bids on the building, we’ve spent months reviewing many interesting proposals. It came down to the numbers Toronto could deliver," said CARAS President Melanie Berry. "Our mandate is to promote Canadian artists internationally too, so the fact this location is the top tourist destination in Canada, drawing over 17 million tourists annually, was also key."

"This won’t be a museum, but a highly interactive bilingual entertainment venue with a performance area, educational components, youth-friendly areas with hands-on activities, and many other engaging features."

"While we tried to bring the Hall to Hamilton, the most important goal from day one was for Canada to have a physical Music Hall of Fame. This will now be accomplished," said Jasper Kujavsky. "I congratulate the Toronto bid team and offer CARAS my full support in helping the project be a great success in the heart of Toronto at Yonge and Dundas"

"I'm very happy to hear that Toronto will be the home for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. It is a great way for Canadians to celebrate our musical heritage and will be a fine cultural addition to our city," said Canadian Rock icon Geddy Lee, a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Peter Tillman, president of Spinning Wheel Design, is the prime project director for the Toronto bid. "Our team is ecstatic over the announcement that we have been chosen as designers and the winning bidders for such a prestigious offering as Canada's Music Hall of Fame," said Tillman. Other key partners are IMG and PenEquity Management Corporation. Toronto City Councillor Kyle Rae was also an active, strong supporter.

CARAS also welcomes the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame as a partner in the CMHF. Added CSHF Chairman Peter Steinmetz, "We’re delighted that the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame has been invited to collaborate in this landmark development, ensuring that our creators – Canada’s songwriters – and their songs will share a permanent home with our performers and their outstanding recording achievements."

The Committee is investigating the possibility of erecting branches of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in other Canadian communities in the future. More announcements regarding CMHF features and attractions will be made in the coming months.

Damn. I still gotta give Jasper Kujavsky a high five. He tired his best. This is now Toronto's second chance to build this hall of fame.

Wonder what's going to happen with Pier 8 now. I think they should build an amphitheatre instead.

Music hall tunes out Steel City for T.O. bid

By Graham Rockingham
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton has lost its bid to host the Canadian Music Hall of Fame to the bright lights of downtown Toronto.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that the new Hall of Fame would be built at the corner of Yonge and Dundas streets.

CARAS, host of the annual Juno music awards, had opened bidding for the Hall of Fame 11 months ago and announced in October that it had whittled the bids down to a shortlist of three -- Winnipeg, Toronto and Hamilton. That list was cut to two when Winnipeg dropped out of the bidding in December.

"It really was a very difficult decision but in the end, the old cliche of location, location, location came thundering through," CARAS chairman Ross Reynolds said last night, noting the intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets draws more than 17 million tourists a year.

CARAS opened the bidding process after two years of lobbying by Hamilton lawyer Jasper Kujavsky, who offered to build a $30-million Hall of Fame on the west Hamilton waterfront. Kujavsky's bid was endorsed by city council. A site at Pier 8, near the Marine Discovery Centre, was set aside for the Hall of Fame.

Reynolds acknowledged that Kujavsky's persistence was a key factor in getting the Hall of Fame off the ground.

"I've got to give him huge points," Reynolds said. "We would not be having this conversation right now if it weren't for Jasper Kujavsky."

Reynolds added that he hopes Kujavsky remains involved in the planning of the Hall of Fame, which is expected to be completed in 2007.

The 57,000-square-foot Hall of Fame will be part of a larger entertainment complex, tentatively called Metropolis, to be built kitty corner to the Eaton Centre. Plans include 20 AMC movie theatres, a Virgin megastore, a Future Shop, restaurants, and the Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

The winning bid was spearheaded by Peter Tillman, president of Spinning Wheel Design, and backed by PenEquity Management and IMG, a high-powered global sports and celebrity marketing agency. Tillman had been senior designer of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Kujavsky admitted that in the end Hamilton -- no matter how strong its bid -- couldn't compete with the numbers the Toronto site could draw.

"They're going to have these millions upon millions of people walking by their doors every day and that's what tipped the balance," Kujavsky said.

The winning bid had been expected to be announced in January, but Reynolds said the quality of the Hamilton proposal made the decision difficult. The strengths of the Hamilton bid included a strong interactive studio display area designed by Bob Lanois, brother of Hall of Fame record producer Daniel Lanois.

The Hamilton bid also contained a strong educational component, something Reynolds says CARAS would ensure the Hall of Fame in Toronto would include.

He said CARAS must now raise $38 million to complete the Hall of Fame, something they would not have had to do if Hamilton won the bid since Kujavsky offered to raise the money through corporate sponsorships.

Wonder what's going to happen with Pier 8 now. I think they should build an amphitheatre instead.


I totally agree... I hoped that the CMHF would include an ampitheatre in it's program anyway.

A big ampitheatre... like the Molson Ampitheatre

Wow, that's great for Metropolis. Where in it will it be? I thought they only had a bit of space left?

Does Toronto have to get EVERYTHING?

Anyways, Hamilton's harbour/piers still have potential, and maybe an amphitheatre only could maybe go there or something else.

Toronto had the opportunity to build it the first time, but they blew it. Now, if Toronto reneges the second time, and the committee goes back to Hamilton, Hamilton should tell them to go to hell.

Not that I have any grudge against Toronto or anything but to award the Fall of Fame to Toronto simply based on the fact it has a large tourist population is well idiotic.

Does that mean ever single museum and art gallery in Canada should be located in Toronto because it happens to be the largest city in Canada?

Just wished CARAS gave a better excuse why Toronto won the bid.

Why Hamilton? It's just adjacent to Toronto, and would attract more Canadians. Would not have it in an accessible place? Or maybe we should bury it in Iqaluit. Not every major mueum is Canada. National Gallery's the busiest art gallery, in Ottawa. I'm not sure about the museums, but I would think the Museum of Civilization is close to ROM's attendence.

"Does Toronto have to get EVERYTHING? "


Uh...if Toronto actually got everything in proportion to it's place in the country, you'd REALLY be pissed. LOL







"Where in it will it be? I thought they only had a bit of space left? "


Yea...it had 57,000 sqft left...what a coincidence eh?








"Not that I have any grudge against Toronto or anything "

Of course not...who ever heard of that? he he








"to award the Fall of Fame to Toronto simply based on the fact it has a large tourist population is well idiotic. "

Yea, you're right...institutions designed to promote Canadian artists should be located where the least amount of people will be exposed to it instead. LOL








"Does that mean ever single museum and art gallery in Canada should be located in Toronto because it happens to be the largest city in Canada? "

Galleries and museums are located in Toronto, because it's where the greatest industry, interest and market for them are. Last time I checked, every city had museums and galleries....a better question would be why Ottawa gets so many of them, just because it's the capital.





KGB

Harbour plans must Set Sail without music hall of fame

By Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator

Pier 8 development has returned to the back burner after Hamilton's failed bid to bring the Canadian Music Hall of Fame to the waterfront.

The door is now open to several projects that have been quietly hovering in the background as Hamilton waited to see if it would get the hall of fame.

But the race was won by Toronto. The shrine will be built at Dundas Square.

Now Mayor Larry Di Ianni says Setting Sail, the city's secondary plan for Hamilton's west harbour, will be the key to determining what happens at the foot of James Street North.

That proposed master plan envisions mixed land use at Pier 8, including public open space, amenities that complement the Canada Marine Discovery Centre, and residential and commercial development.

Some groups, though, are threatening to take the wind out of Setting Sail.

Area residents and CN Rail have objected to the plan.

The residents fear their quiet North End neighbourhoods will become overrun with traffic.

CN Rail says the plan will impair the functioning of its Stuart Street marshalling yard.

Di Ianni says he is frustrated the secondary plan process is not moving more quickly " but I understand the final (Setting Sail) plans will come to us in the not-too-distant future."

Port authority chairman Larry Russell said: "We want to work as closely with the city as possible to get something on Pier 8."

The city and port authority recently commissioned a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and urbanMetrics, which suggests directions for developing the eight hectares.

The Moderate Pier 8 plan calls for 250 to 500 mostly row-house residential units supported by some tourism, retail, food and support services.

Under a Destination Pier 8 plan, up to 750 residential units in lowrise developments for about 1,600 people would be developed, along with retail and hospitality services.

Russell pointed out the port authority leases the land from the city for only 21 years more and would not be anxious to engage in a big development.

As a result, he said, the port authority will likely accelerate talks to return control of part of all of the pier lands to the city before the current lease expires.

One proposal waiting in the background is a multimillion-dollar European-style piazza next to the water, proposed by a consortium that includes the local Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) and a foreign government.

The concept builds residential and commercial space around a focal piazza square.

It would be nice if people preparing to build something in Canada, like the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, would cut the other cities in Canada or Ontario some slack, and maybe give them more of a chance for great consideration and opportunity...

Yea, you're right...institutions designed to promote Canadian artists should be located where the least amount of people will be exposed to it instead.

Like Cleveland!

"It would be nice if people preparing to build something in Canada, like the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, would cut the other cities in Canada or Ontario some slack, and maybe give them more of a chance for great consideration and opportunity..."



Well, I think they did other places an opportunity...there was a competition no?

But the people behind it have an obligation to put it where it has the best chance of succeeding...not handing it over to anyone just cause it "isn't Toronto".

Com'on...why would you turn down that location??? The busiest pedestrian intersection in the country...located on top of a subway station and beside a streetcar line...if you are in the music business, why would you not want to be next door to the flagship music stores...next to massey hall...on Dundas Square, where there will be plenty of promotional opportunity, with all the free music concerts there...two major streetside radio stations a block away (Q107 & The Edge, who also do Yonge St live music promotions).

This is the same location where the street has been closed down for free Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Alice Cooper concerts for record company promotions...this is the sort of thing you can do there.


Another spot that would have been good, would have been at Festival Hall...instead of that giant Lucid night club.





KGB

"It would be nice if people preparing to build something in Canada, like the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, would cut the other cities in Canada or Ontario some slack, and maybe give them more of a chance for great consideration and opportunity..."



Well, I think they did other places an opportunity...there was a competition no?

But the people behind it have an obligation to put it where it has the best chance of succeeding...not handing it over to anyone just cause it "isn't Toronto".

Com'on...why would you turn down that location??? The busiest pedestrian intersection in the country...located on top of a subway station and beside a streetcar line...if you are in the music business, why would you not want to be next door to the flagship music stores...next to massey hall...on Dundas Square, where there will be plenty of promotional opportunity, with all the free music concerts there...two major streetside radio stations a block away (Q107 & The Edge, who also do Yonge St live music promotions).

This is the same location where the street has been closed down for free Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Alice Cooper concerts for record company promotions...this is the sort of thing you can do there.


Another spot that would have been good, would have been at Festival Hall...instead of that giant Lucid night club.

KGB

You should have worked for the Toronto bid, with a selling rant like that. I forgot about CFNY and Q107 being right there.

My only hang-up is that a project like this could have been something architecturally remarkable. In my opinion, a stand-alone building would have served best, in a location that allows views of the building. A Sydney Opera Hall, a Cleveland Rock and Roll Museum, or even a Bilbao Guggenheim.. off the top of my head. Something iconic. Now of course, a facade can do the same thing, but it's a bit of a trick. And I think any hopes of adding architectural excellence to the city (Toronto or Hamilton) with this project have been dashed by adding it to the 'Metropolis'. It will get lost behind the billboard orgasm and remain relegated to simply an interior space. Picture the Hockey Hall of Fame, without the landmark historical building.... funny, come to think of it, it's the same firm doing the CMHF that did the HHF. I'm not expecting anything exceptional.

It's just a bitter defeat for Hamilton... it's a case of one man's ceiling is another man's floor... for lack of a better metaphor. The Hamilton location would have been amazing too... overlooking the harbour and being visible from the Skyway. I know I'm making too many paralels with Bilbao, but the context is the same. A jewel in the rough it would have been. sigh

Nah...I think you are just searching for a reason to bitch....you must like country'n western...not rock'n roll.

You really wanna rock'n roll hall of fame cum-Gehry theme park on the waterfront????

You want rock'n roll...you locate on Yonge street, next to the store that sells bongs and a block from the Zanzibar....that's rock'n roll baby....not architectural posing.






KGB

Nah...I think you are just searching for a reason to bitch....you must like country'n western...not rock'n roll.

You really wanna rock'n roll hall of fame cum-Gehry theme park on the waterfront????

You want rock'n roll...you locate on Yonge street, next to the store that sells bongs and a block from the Zanzibar....that's rock'n roll baby....not architectural posing.

KGB

right now I'm listening to the blues.. :(

and hey, it's not just for rock and roll... somehow I can't mix Anne Murray with the Zanzibar.. call me crazy :)

Ah don't worry about losing the Hall of Fame. At least we'll probably end up getting the multimillion-dollar European-style piazza next to Pier 8.

But I doubt that will be created until after 2007 since LIUNA is busy with Lister Block and Connaught Hotel.

The mayor saw the rendering for the piazza so obviously LIUNA is serious about it. And no I don't have the rendering lol, it's confidential until an announcement is made.

Here's an old article explaining about the piazza

European piazza plan afloat for Pier 8

July 15, 2004

A consortium of private interests wants to transform Pier 8 in Hamilton's west harbour into a multimillion dollar European-style piazza where people can work, live and play by the water.

And one of the key players of the group is LIUNA, the labour outfit that saved the city's old CN station by converting it into a stylish banquet centre.

Joe Mancinelli, vice-president of the Laborers International Union of North America, refuses to divulge details of the plan or who the other partners are because he says the project is still in its early stages.

"We've got work to do. We've got preliminary drawings. We're working with the architects to do further drawings and cost analysis. And we need to work with the city," Mancinelli said.

"Even though it would be private money and possibly even a foreign government involved in this project, the city owns the land and has a lot to say as to how they want this development to go forward."

Mancinelli did not disclose what foreign government is interested, but it's believed to be Italy.

He said the concept, which he describes as an exciting mix of residential and commercial space with a piazza-like square as a focal point, is being designed by some of the most prominent architects in the country.

Mancinelli also stressed the project is intended to actively complement, not compete with, the proposal to build a $30-million Canadian Music Hall of Fame on Pier 8 in association with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

Mayor Larry Di Ianni, who recently got a peek at some of the drawings, is impressed by the plan and LIUNA's track record of success.

But Di Ianni cautions the city will need to see a solid business case before getting aboard this or any other proposal for developing the west harbour, some of the most valuable publicly-owned property in the city.

"LIUNA's involvement brings credibility to the project but their involvement alone, and that of others as well, isn't sufficient without a business case and financing plan. They understand that and they know they need to put it together," Di Ianni said.

Pier 8, a 12-hectare piece of land at the foot of James Street North, is where the new Marine Discovery Centre, which opens Saturday, is located. Between the centre and HMCS Haida at Pier 9, there are roughly 21 hectares of land available.

Various other development proposals are said to be in the works for the area, but the LIUNA project is the first to be coaxed into the light.

Although it's hoped the area can be turned into a major tourist attraction, any proposal will depend on what city council does with the Setting Sail report, the city's land-use study for development in the west harbour.

Final recommendations aren't expected to go before council until the end of the year. But council may have to act sooner because CARAS has imposed a Sept. 15 deadline for receiving building bids for the music hall of fame, which is now a separate but important ingredient of the LIUNA mix.

Still, it's to Mancinelli's credit that he doesn't want to whip up expectations about the project until more of the pieces fall into place. That's why he was reluctant to talk about the plan. He's acutely aware that the city has too often suffered from people coming forward with grandiose schemes that don't materialize.

Think of Sheila Copps's pet proposal for building a sports stadium on Pier 8 that faded away. Think of LIUNA's own thwarted plans to turn the decaying Lister Block, which it owns, into a hotel, condo and commercial complex.

Mancinelli is confident people will like the project, but he's also aware that he's up against a potentially difficult process, one that not only requires council's approval, but buy-in from the Port Authority, which leases the land from the city, the wider community and the waterfront neighbourhood.

"We want this to be a win-win-win -- for the neighbourhood, for the city, for the development."

Mancinelli says the group is getting close to making a formal announcement, but because there's so much work to be done he hesitates to attach any time frame to the project.

"I would love to see us proceed between now and the winter months with the actual development of the project and then start construction sometime in the spring. I don't know if that's aggressive or not. It all depends on how many yeses we get from all the different groups."

In the meantime, Mancinelli has designated former city councillor Frank D'Amico as project spokesman.

"somehow I can't mix Anne Murray with the Zanzibar."

No...but she certainly has played Massey Hall. I think a lot of people underestimate the importance of the Old Lady of Shuter as the best hall in the country...not just because it has been going for over 110 years...not because it has near perfect accoustics...but because of the sheer amount of talent that has graced it's stage.






KGB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/Appster/carto.jpg

"somehow I can't mix Anne Murray with the Zanzibar."

No...but she certainly has played Massey Hall. I think a lot of people underestimate the importance of the Old Lady of Shuter as the best hall in the country...not just because it has been going for over 110 years...not because it has near perfect accoustics...but because of the sheer amount of talent that has graced it's stage.


KGB

It does have kick ass acoustics.... I saw the Tea Party there once.. wow.

Not great sightlines if you're up on the mezz level though.

LOL Steeltown..... I know a better name for that.... the NYLON's Experience.

Well Jasper Kujavsky made an announcement today. He's got other visions for Pier 8.

Here's a piece of the article........

Unfazed by the fact the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has chosen to erect its altar to Canadian music in downtown Toronto, the irrepressible Kujavsky is suggesting a fallback position for Hamilton.

He's got a new but familiar concept to sell. He's calling it Experience Music Canada. He sees it as a musically themed centre focused primarily on education and entertainment.

In short, it's the Music Hall of Fame without the hall of honour and historical artefacts associated with that project.

And, yes, Kujavsky is suggesting locating it on Pier 8, just like the hall of fame proposal.

There's more.

Kujavsky also wants to explore the possibility of making it a satellite of Toronto's winning hall of fame bid, a notion he dismissed when Hamilton's proposal was still in play, but one he's more than happy to entertain now that a new game is afoot.

The model for Experience Music Canada is the Experience Music Project in Seattle, an innovative hands-on museum of American popular music that specializes in educating visitors through interactive programs and exhibits.

Kujavsky thinks the same idea could work as a signature waterfront attraction, practically if aligned with a credible national organization such as CARAS.

CARAS chair Ross Reynolds says he's interested in exploring the satellite concept with Hamilton and other communities, though he admits he's not exactly sure what it might look like at this point.

But whether Kujavsky's latest vision develops legs is going to depend on a lot of things, including the city's willingness to enter into a lease agreement for Pier 8 and whether Kujavsky can entice sponsors and lenders aboard.

"The issue will be whether all local players in Hamilton want to participate and it will be up to them to decide whether they do," says Kujavsky.

If they do, he's ready to run the bull.

Give Kujavsky all the credit in the world.

Without him, the hall of fame might never have achieved lift-off. He approached CARAS with an unsolicited proposal to build it in Hamilton, Thanks to his persistence, CARAS launched a formal bidding process, ultimately won by Toronto.

But Kujavsky's reworked concept is going to be hard sell.

He's got perception and saturation problems to deal with.

Whether linked with CARAS or not, any successor musically themed project is, rightly or wrongly, going to seem like a consolation prize. a pale imitation of the real thing just down the road in Toronto. It would have to offer something spectacularly unique while still competing for the same tourist dollars.

Kujavsky was right. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame would have been a fabulous anchoring attraction for Pier 8 development.

But the Hamilton lawyer will need more than sweet talk and staying power to convince people that Experience Music Canada fills the same bill.

I dunno... sounds pretty lame.

whats wrong with just a decent outdoor venue for concerts?

Jasper wants a music themed something with his amphitheatre. He just isn't happy with an amphitheatre alone.