It is unclear how the existing building would be used if the heritage designation moves forward. Pictured: Philpott Church. Photo Credit: Facebook/Philpott
A developer that bought property at the corner of York Boulevard and Park Street North in Hamilton’s downtown is seeing their plans for two residential buildings stalled, and likely cancelled altogether, due to a potential heritage designation of the site.
Part of the property, 84 York Boulevard, is Philpott Memorial Church, which was constructed in two phases in 1901 and 1906.
The other part, 89 Park Street North, currently serves as the church’s parking lot.
On April 15, 2024, as directed by Hamilton’s Council, the city issued a public notice of their intention to designate 84 York Boulevard, Philpott Memorial Church, under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, as being a building of cultural heritage value.
Staff will soon be reporting back to Council on whether there are any objections to the city’s notice to designate, and Council will have the final word on whether or not to withdraw the notice of intention to designate the property.
The developer, Empire Communities, was originally hoping to completely demolish the existing church to construct a new mixed-use building consisting of two 30-storey towers above a five storey podium.
The building would have a total of 697 square metres of ground floor commercial space along York Boulevard and Vine Street and include 693 residential units and 393 parking spaces.
That Formal Consultation Application was received by the city in 2022.
Cultural Heritage Planning staff at the time reportedly “strongly encouraged” incorporating the existing building into the development.
The Philpott Church congregation appears to support the redevelopment of the church.
Michael Brown, the Board Chair at Philpott, wrote to the city’s Cultural Heritage and Planning Lead that the congregation sold the property “knowing the church building would likely be demolished due to its condition.”
“We have completed several studies to review the condition of the building, to understand the benefits and disadvantages of completing necessary repairs or constructing a new church building,” Brown wrote.
Empire Communities has also submitted reports showing that the building is deteriorating.
The various reports are laid out in a 732-page document on the City of Hamilton’s website and can be found here.
Brown says, “The congregation ultimately decided that in order to meet the long-term needs of the church, a new building was necessary.”
Philpott’s congregation is renovating 160, 164, and 168 King Street East, the site of the former Lincoln Alexander Centre, and will be moving when the sale of their York Boulevard property closes in September 2024.
Brown asserted, “The congregation expresses no concerns with the redevelopment of the [York Boulevard] property and is happy to see the site evolve and continue to serve Downtown Hamilton.”
Despite the congregation’s position, the city contends that the property has cultural heritage value.
“The property has design or physical value because it is comprised of representative examples of the Neo-Classical and Romanesque Revival styles of architecture and displays a high degree of craftsmanship,” reads a city statement.
“The property has historical value for its association with Peter Wiley (P.W. Philpott and the Christian Workers’ movement, because it has the potential to yield information that contributes to an understanding of the movement, and because it reflects the work of Charles Mills, a prominent Hamilton architect,” the city continues.
“The property also has contextual value because it is important in defining and maintaining the character of the area, is visually and historically linked to its surroundings and is considered a local landmark.”
The city also contends that the existing church building “is structurally sound.”
The developer attempted to strike a compromise with the city, proposing a Heritage Easement Agreement that would see parts of the existing building maintained and incorporated into a new development, but Council rejected that idea, instead opting for the full heritage designation.
It is unclear how the existing building would be used if the heritage designation moves forward.
It is also unclear if Empire Communities would still move forward with a development on the other part of the site, the parking lot at 89 Park Street North.
Although, if they were to move forward on 89 Park Street North, their project would be significantly smaller.
Ultimately, the final decision regarding the heritage designation is expected to come back to Council.
If Council moves forward with the designation, then it appears that the only other option for Empire Communities to see their two-tower plan move forward would be to file an appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal.
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.
