The lobsters of James St. North

Photographs by Ian Walker

Celebrating the many lives of the Custom House

Several notable Hamilton companies inhabited the building at some point in its history including the Hamilton Board of Education, the YWCA, the Associated Charities of Hamilton, a Martial Arts Academy, a computer company and several different kinds of factories including a macaroni, doughnut and olive factory.

Downtown Adventures in Hyperreality

By Simon Orpana
A short while ago, I was watching a new superhero movie at the Jackson Square cinemas. The film was set in an unspecified American city beset by violence: muggings, drug use and organized crime crop up regularly in the film, and the main hero is a nerd-turned-vigilante who becomes a celebrity after a [...]

Local architecture is in the good hands of Shannon Kyles

By Kathy Bainas

Enthusiasm for architecture comes naturally to Shannon Kyles. Her father, Lloyd, and grandfather, J.D., were architects with their own firm in Hamilton—Kyles, Kyles & Garrett—and were responsible for, or participated in, the design and construction of local landmarks like the Pigott Building and Westdale High School.
Kyles began her career working with computers and [...]

James North Art Crawl rundown for August 2010

The James North Art Crawl is happening again this Friday, Aug. 13 starting at 7pm. A few new additions to the list of destinations this month including Mulberry Street Coffee House and Hammer City Records. Experience the art renewal happening on James North first hand and be part of something truly unique and local to [...]

Heart of the Hammer dishes up coffee & community

By Julie Gordon

The Heart of the Hammer Café on King Street East and Sherman opened in December 2009 and has become a popular gathering place in the community of South Stipeley. Part of the café’s success comes from owner Rebecca Doll’s commitment to providing the best quality coffee and food. More significantly, Heart of the [...]

Breaking down the creative catalyst

Originally published in H Mag Issue 28 • February 2010

The Imperial Cotton Centre of the Arts (ICCA) along with the City of Hamilton have unveiled a report that recommends the building of a creative catalyst in the downtown core. From the report: “A creative catalyst would occupy a large, iconic building downtown with an educational [...]

Roger Wood’s whimsical Klockwerks

By Kathy Bainas

Roger Wood is a creative visionary whose one-of-a-kind timepieces are fantastical showstoppers as can be seen on his website. A visit to his studio reveals a dizzying array of raw materials containing, in his words, “Drawers and drawers of precious little bits,” such as old camera parts and jewellery findings. Other drawers of [...]

James North Art Crawl rundown for July 2010

The James North Art Crawl is happening again this Friday, July 9 starting at 7pm. It’s going to be a hot and sweaty one. Rub shoulders with your fellow Hamiltonians and experience the art renewal happening on James North. Cold drinks will be mandatory and those spaces with air conditioning will be packed – so [...]

Q & A with Matt Jelly

He is perhaps best known for his “By-Law Crawl” events which gained attention earlier this year in the aftermath of the Century Theatre demolition. Matt also lists himself as a graphic designer, artist and musician and may just be one of the most passionate advocates for a better and brighter Hamilton that I know…