Hamilton aka "The Hammer"!

[Taller, Better]

Inspired by some beautiful threads of late, I decided to collect some of my photos of Hamilton from over the years to show everyone. Hamilton is a short drive from Toronto, and including its suburbs has a population of around 720,000. Hamilton is never considered part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is a city of it's own.
This thread will be a bit random; I just went through my files and plucked out pictures here and there. Most of them are about the older buildings in town. Hamilton had the advantage of nearby quarries, therefore many of the old buildings were built of stone; this is much more evident than was the case in Toronto. You can tell by the cut and treatment of the stone that much of it was done by Scottish stone-cutters. The terrain of Hamilton is also a bit hillier, too. As is the case in many cities around the world, richer people tended to build their houses up the hills rather than closer to the port where there was always the danger of flooding.



My favourite rowhouse in Hamilton, Sandyford Place, from 1856:





This is the church I find the prettiest in Hamilton: Macnab Street Presbyterian. I'm always a bit curious as to why they made a Scottish church so very English looking:











A nice example of the Canadian version of late Georgian style built in stone, with Whitehern House from 1850:

[Taller, Better]

this part of town is very quaint:







Unsurprisingly in a town with so many Scots, you see houses in the so-called "Scottish Baronial" style:





Like many Canadian cities, lots of Neo-Tudor and lots of Neo-Gothic:

[Taller, Better]

The grandest house in Hamilton (if not all of Ontario) is the very charming "Dundurn" (which for Scots meant "strong fort") completed in 1835. I've shown pictures of it in other threads, so will content myself with a few here. It was built by the great-great-great Grandfather of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. He had it designed by a London architect in the currently fashionable Regency style. It was the first Italiante inspired building in North America, and had the first flush toilet (a full decade before the Whitehouse in Washington got one. )









apples growing in its orchard:



The rather spectacular Gothic-style mansion "Inglewood", built in the late
1840's:



and, a broad selection of many different styles (often all mixed together on one building) of Hamilton's Victorian edifices and landmarks, both modest and grand:



the so-called Stockbroker Georgian style:

























a handsome apartment building:









Queen Victoria:



Apparently at the time she was the Empire's Top Model!







Built as one of Canada's Carnegie libraries:



Hamilton's very handsome Modernist City Hall (designed in the late 1950's):



Hope you enjoyed the little tour and perhaps I will add more pictures in some day!

[vanboy2]

love those Victorian stone buildings,houses and cathedrals,very handsome and a must see.Thanks for sharing Taller.

[Linguine]

thanks for the beautiful and charming photos from Hamilton....

[capricorn2000]

a charming city indeed.
and of much interest are those grandly designed residentials which I tend to imagine how
opulently their interiors were furnished and decorated.

[christos-greece]

Great, very nice photos from Hamilton Taller,Better

[HS]

Wow, that old residential buildings in Hamilton are really impressive! I'd never thought there is such nice architecture in this city. Could you please (if you remember of course) tell me what street is this?

[rychlik]

I grew up in Hamilton (went to Brebeuf on the mountain). It's a great city. Much cheaper to live in than Toronto and Mississauga. I hope to move back one day.

[isaidso]

Hamilton was a very prosperous industrial city. The architecture is testament to that.

[Taller, Better]

Originally Posted by HS

Wow, that old residential buildings in Hamilton are really impressive! I'd never thought there is such nice architecture in this city. Could you please (if you remember of course) tell me what street is this?

I don't know exactly, but I think it is on Aberdeen Avenue, up on the hill. I think it is close to another house that is at 107 Aberdeen.

[HS]

Thanks a lot for the information

[Steeltown]

Nicely done!

[Taller, Better]

Thanks, guys! Hamilton is a really underrated and interesting town in my books!

[christos-greece]

Do you have any new updates from Hamilton?

[Benonie]

Wow! That's a whole different city than I expected. Nice old architecture over there. I think it's well worth a detour.

[flar]

Great shots and commentary! Hamilton is a very interesting city to explore, especially if you like residential architecture.

HS, that large house is at the corner of Aberdeen and Ravenscliffe. Ravenscliffe sits on a rise at the base of the Niagara Escarpment and has several impressive mansions.

[Taller, Better]

Thanks again, everyone and especial thanks to you, Flar. Yours was, of course, one of the beautiful threads that inspired me to collect a few of my little snapshots for this thread. Glad you liked the pictures and that is a real compliment coming from such a distinguished photographer as yourself!

[MexiQuebecois]

Awesome photos! It definitely brings back memories

[flar]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

Thanks again, everyone and especial thanks to you, Flar. Yours was, of course, one of the beautiful threads that inspired me to collect a few of my little snapshots for this thread. Glad you liked the pictures and that is a real compliment coming from such a distinguished photographer as yourself!

When it comes to photography, you're not too shabby yourself. I like how you seek out the details that many others don't notice