Front page of today’s Hamilton Spectator: Tal Dehtiar, the new owner of the Church of St. Thomas, is converting the 150-year-old church into 19 apartments.
Congratulations to Mr. Dehtiar! This shows what is possible: taking a modern approach that supports both housing and heritage in Hamilton. (And in a climate emergency, we can’t afford to send any more Hamilton landmarks to the landfill.) Like St. Giles and Wentworth Baptist, the former St. Thomas Anglican is in Ward 3, not far from Old Cathedral High School.
From Teviah Moro’s article:
The price was right. So was the zoning. The building?
That — a roughly 150-year-old stone church in downtown Hamilton — would require creativity.
Knowing that, with 16 West Ave. S. listed for $1.5 million, Tal Dehtiar made his offer.
Now it’s his, and with a building permit in hand, he plans to create 19 market units in the vast space at the corner of Main Street East.
“Dehtiar’s project ticks off more than one box, says Donna Bacher, president of the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington.”
The city “desperately needs” more rental housing and the focus on heritage preservation deserves praise, she says.
“This architecture, once it’s gone, you’re never going to get it back and it’s very worth preserving.”
The 1869 church was designed by Albert H. Hills, the Hamilton architect behind MacNab Presbyterian, the former Centenary Methodist, and Trinity Lutheran.
Spectator print edition: “Church is ‘outside the box’ project” (July 13, 2021, A1, A3) | online: “Downtown Hamilton church is ‘outside the box’ apartment project for Oakville man”
The Hamilton Spectator (est. 1846) is published by Metroland Media Group, a division of Torstar.
Photos: John Rennison.
Sarah Sheehan 