Outgoing mayor Fred Eisenberger threw his support behind the idea of a local history museum at the former Discovery Centre on Pier 8 (pictured) last week.
Hamilton’s west harbour, which is already slated for a 1,500-unit residential development, may soon also be home to a new Hamilton museum and public library.
The Discovery Centre at Pier 8, which opened in 2004, was previously a federally run Parks Canada marine museum before shutting its doors in 2010. The building is located near the outdoor skating/roller rink and Williams Cafe.
Later, it was the site of the restaurant Sarcoa which then closed in 2017. Sarcoa was often in the news due to noise complaints. The site has been largely unused since, although it will soon be temporarily set up as a sales office for the buildings that are being constructed.
However, a recent staff report has suggested that the Hamilton Public Library (HPL) is interested in opening a new branch on site. The north end has not had a library since 2009 when the branch at James Street North and Picton Stree East closed.
The new residential development going up at the pier, paired with the already existent population’s need for a library, makes the Discovery Centre a favourable arrangement for HPL. And with the large size of the Discovery Centre, it is expected that the building can easily hold another tenant or two in addition to a library.
Staff recommend assessing the Discovery Centre on the favourability of another restaurant on the site or even retail.
But another idea that has gained interest, particularly by Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, is the establishment of a local history museum, or “Hamilton Museum”. The building is already municipally owned.
Additionally, pairing a new public library branch with a local history museum is seen as the perfect combination.
For now, the concept is only in initial planning stages. The Discovery Centre will not even be set up as a sales centre until 2023, with any plans for libraries or museums not likely to be finalized for at least a year or two.
Note that the author of this article, Kevin Geenen, is running for Ward 5 City Council Hamilton (Gray Rd to Red Hill Parkway plus the Beach Strip). Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on social media. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch crime updates and no-nonsense news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
