Grace Lutheran was back at City Hall this week. In March, I spoke to the Hamilton Planning Committee about this unique neo-Gothic church. Grace Lutheran was designed by renowned Hamilton architect William Russell Souter in 1959.
View my slides here.
At the March meeting, councillors were considering the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee’s recommendations to add the former Grace Lutheran Church (1107 Main St. W.) to the Register and designation work plan.
The new owners paid $7.5 million for the property, and are working with IN8 Developments to redevelop the site. IN8 is proposing to demolish the church building and reconstruct the facade as a garden feature next to a 15-storey condominium tower and townhouses.
This is disappointing, old-school, either-or thinking from IN8 — implying that only either homes or the heritage building can exist on this large site. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth: a creative solution is still possible that incorporates Souter’s elegant neo-Gothic building into the condo tower or retail space at grade. In fact, adaptively reusing churches as part of condo developments has become such standard practice everywhere but Hamilton, that people often forget about non-condo alternatives for church reuse.
Souter was a partner in Hutton & Souter, the Hamilton architects behind Delta Collegiate, Old Cathedral High School, the award-winning Basilica of Christ the King complex (visible from the 403), and Wentworth Baptist (Indwell’s Stonehouse Apartments). After Hutton’s death, Souter designed local houses of worship including Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Grace Lutheran, and Beth Jacob Synagogue, which was listed for sale in fall 2021.
In Toronto, Hutton & Souter’s McLaughlin Motor Car showroom was dismantled and reassembled in 1999, after construction of the Burano condo tower. Moving a Souter building like the showroom is a climate-friendly alternative to demolishing Grace Lutheran outright, if its current location on the site is inconvenient.
Especially in a climate emergency, there are better, greener alternatives to demolishing Grace Lutheran — a beautiful landmark designed by a distinguished Hamilton architect — and putting it in a landfill. Our built environment, and its embodied carbon, is as precious and valuable a resource as our natural environment; it should be treated with the same care and respect.
March coverage of Grace Lutheran: Teviah Moro, “‘Handshake deal’ leads to 15-storey condo,” Mar. 17, 2022, A4 | online: “‘Handshake deal’ leads to condo project at west Hamilton church site: Heritage committee doesn’t want Grace Lutheran to be demolished“
June coverage of Grace Lutheran: Teviah Moro, “Plan backed for 15-storey condo at church site,” Jun. 2, 2022, A5 | online: “Plan for 15-storey condo at west Hamilton church site backed: Developers say Grace Lutheran must come down“
Sarah Sheehan 