The 150-year-old James Street Baptist Church façade in downtown Hamilton is being transformed, sensitively reimagined into a 30-storey condominium tower. mcCallumSather is leading the design and heritage consultation of this unique adaptive reuse project.

With an arched, two-storey high entrance, and modern porcelain and wood finishes, Connolly’s lobby will evoke the church’s ambiance and elegance. A backlit wall with rich wood and stone textures has been designed to emulate a stained-glass window, adding a striking yet subtle feature wall.

The layout includes 7,000 sq. ft. of amenity space, designed for healthy and social urban lifestyles. Connolly’s most iconic feature, the rose window that spans 30 feet across the façade, will form the centre of the state-of-the-art gym. A co-working space, entertainment and game lounge open on to a landscaped terrace, and solarium. On the ground floor, the commercial space spills out to an outdoor patio, ideally suited for a restaurant.

The development will include one of Canada’s first fully automated parking systems. The system will maximize the number of parking spots while minimizing land usage. A fully mechanized stacking system will serve as a robotic valet, allowing residents to park in an entry area while the car will move automatically to its parking space.

The James Street Baptist Church was originally built between 1878 and 1882, designed by renowned architect Joseph Connolly in a Gothic revival style. The name pays homage to the original design. This transformative project is the largest stone façade conservation project in the region, the 20,000 sq. ft. east tower containing 1,217 sq. ft. of original stained glass will be preserved. Nearly 20,000 stones will be stabilized prior to construction and a new wall structure will be poured in to stabilize the façade’s walls below grade.