Hanrahan’s made the Spectator’s year-end list of “True grit and other Hamilton headlines.” After working for many months to “make some noise” and save the former Hotel Hanrahan, it was an honour to see the Hanrahan’s story featured alongside other news of the year — including the Terry the Turtle saga. Delaney Caulfield highlighted Matthew…
Designation in the core, demolition in the east: whose history matters?
My Saturday op-ed on church conversions as affordable housing and community spaces, and the former St. Giles in east Hamilton. St. Giles is at risk of demolition by its owner, New Vision United Church. Print: “Let’s not bulldoze the plague saint’s church,” December 12, 2020, A19. With thanks to Howard Elliott. Vonny Sweetland comments via…
Stardust
Front page of the Friday arts section: I interviewed producer Matt Code about the new David Bowie movie, Stardust, which shot in Hamilton. Online: “Hamilton stands in for Hollywood in new David Bowie biopic streaming Friday,” Nov. 26, 2020 | “Next stop: Hamilton in David Bowie biopic,” Nov. 27, 2020, G1 With many thanks to…
Cartoon Character
I had the pleasure of reviewing Terry Mosher’s Professional Heckler: The Life and Art of Duncan Macpherson for the Literary Review of Canada. With thanks to Kyle Wyatt, the Bora Laskin Law Library, and McGill-Queen’s University Press. Book cover design: David Drummond Illustration of Duncan Macpherson courtesy of David Parkins for the LRC. Founded in…
Hinterland Remixed
I reviewed Andrew Burke’s Hinterland Remixed: Media, Memory, and the Canadian 1970s for the November 2020 issue of Border Crossings. With thanks to Meeka Walsh, John Patterson, and McGill-Queen’s University Press. Book cover design: David Drummond Video courtesy of Geronimo Inutiq Border Crossings (est. 1982) is a quarterly cultural magazine edited and published in Winnipeg….
Good news for the Long & Bisby
A success story for heritage advocacy and adaptive reuse: the Long and Bisby, the at-risk Sanatorium building that I wrote about in August, will be restored by the owners. Developer Valery Homes plans to refurbish the 1920 nurses’ residence for use as its company headquarters. Update: City councillors have voted to give the Long and…
Going to bat for Old Cathedral
Old Cathedral is front-page news today in The Hamilton Spectator. I spoke with Teviah Moro for his story about the former Cathedral Boys’ School, which is owned by the Diocese of Hamilton. Designed in 1928 by local architects Hutton & Souter, the neo-Gothic high school building was expanded in 1951 with the addition of the…
Little Fires Everywhere
My op-ed about fires during quarantine, the Long and Bisby building on Hamilton’s west Mountain, and how city council’s delays threaten Hamilton’s built heritage. With thanks to James Charlton, Diane Dent, Hamilton Fire Department Assistant Deputy Chief Carla MacDonald, and Const. Lorraine Edwards. The Hamilton Spectator (est. 1846) is published by Metroland Media Group, a…
Guest of Honour: Interview with Atom Egoyan
Front page of the weekend Spectator: I interviewed Atom Egoyan about his latest film, Guest of Honour, starring David Thewlis as a Hamilton food inspector. With many thanks to Atom Egoyan, Marcy Gerstein, Ankixa Risk, Jacob Tutt, Kim Adrovez, Nathan Fleet, Kate Parkes, Olivia Nasner, Jeff Day, and Aviva Boxer. David Thewlis’ comments thanks to…
Mashups
I wrote a short review of Megen de Bruin-Molé’s Gothic Remixed: Monster Mashups and Frankenfictions in 21st-Century Culture for the TLS. With thanks to Michael Caines and Rozalind Dineen. Book cover design: Eleanor Rose Founded in 1902 as The Times Literary Supplement, the TLS is a weekly literary review published by News UK, a subsidiary…
Gothic Revival Meets Urban Decay
My op-ed about Claremont Lodge, the Auchmar gatehouse. With thanks to Paul Wilson, Candy Venning, and Robin Gleadall. The Hamilton Spectator (est. 1846) is published by Metroland Media Group, a division of Torstar. Photos: Candy Venning (2020) and Scott Gardner (2015). The Hamilton Spectator | read online | read in print
Maison McCall
I had the pleasure of writing about McCall’s interwar couture patterns for the upcoming Heritage issue of Selvedge Magazine. With thanks to Cécile Lambert and Elizabeth Randolph, Collections Manager of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Founded in 2004, Selvedge is a bimonthly that explores the history, future, politics, and…
