Hanrahan’s is now a listed heritage property! Once slated for demolition, the Edwardian hotel building was officially added to the Municipal Heritage Register this summer as part of the Beasley Neighbourhood Inventory.
Congratulations to the family and property owner! Inclusion on the Register represents official recognition of the building’s value to the local community.
As many of you will know, I led the 2019 campaign to save Hanrahan’s. It was a pleasure meeting owner Konrad Sit and members of the Hanrahan family, and later supporting Konrad with his community outreach.
More recently, I was delighted to learn that Jason Morse of Morse & Associates, our wonderful printer for the Woodlands Park: Ghost Landscape project, had created the Hanrahan’s screenprint* featured here. Thanks to Jason for the recent studio tour, and for letting me know about this wonderful artwork.
From the BNA project webpage:
The purpose of this project is to document and evaluate significant heritage properties in Beasley north of Cannon and propose “listing” on the Register to give them some protection against routine alteration and demolition. The process requires that each property be inventoried, documented and evaluated. Properties that are recommended will go through a process of review by City staff and the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee until they are sent to Council for approval to be added to the Register.
Image: Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library. 
Image: Vintage Hamilton. 
Image: Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library. 
Image: Brian Henley. 
Image: Hamilton Spectator. 
Image: Bill Curran, Curran Gacesa Slote Architects. 
Image: BNA / City of Hamilton. 
Image: Jason Morse / No Guff Studio.
From the City of Hamilton:
Preliminary Design Value: The property’s style, type or expression is representative. The property displays a high degree of craftsmanship. Remaining historical architectural features include segmental and half-round window openings with brick voussoirs, keystones and stone lug sills, brick pilasters, continuous sill courses, stone quoining, stone foundations, stone cornices and decorative brickwork. Some original (or early) 1-over-1 hung wood windows remain in upper storeys. The first storey, however, is heavily modified and it is not clear if any original features remain under the existing modern cladding and signage.
Preliminary Associative Value: The property is associated with a significant business in the history of the area (Hanrahan Hotel). Prior to Thomas Hanrahan purchasing the property in 1899, the property was comprised of a two-storey frame structure used as a hotel. The current three-storey brick building was constructed in 1908 by Thomas Hanrahan, who ran it as a hotel (Hotel Hanrahan) until his death in 1915. The business then passed to his wife, Mary, who ran the hotel into the mid-20th century. The property was then transferred to John Hanrahan who sold it in 1947 to Henry Banock and Sam Blackstein, who continued to operate the business under the Hanrahan name. In the 1970s-1980s it was known as Hanrahan Tavern. The property was sold to a numbered company in 1984 and then again in 1988. The property operated as the Hamilton Strip into the 2010s.
Preliminary Contextual Value: The property is important in defining the character of the area. The property is visually and historically linked to its surroundings, located on the southwest corner of Barton and Catharine Streets, two significant historic transportation corridors in the neighbourhood. The property may be a local landmark.
The Beasley Neighbourhood Inventory is a community-led project of the BNA led by Carol Priamo, Heritage Projects board member with the neighbourhood association and Vice Chair of ACO Hamilton. Read more in From the Nest (The Downtown Sparrow) and the OHA+M blog of the University of Waterloo Heritage Resources Centre.
* Prints available at LEN: Democratic Purveyors and directly from No Guff Studio.
About the Beasley Inventory | About Hamilton’s Built Heritage Inventory
Sarah Sheehan 