By Graham Crawford

For nearly 200 years, it has been fought over. Hated. Loved. Fenced in. Attacked with chainsaws. Cleaned up and messed up. Designed and redesigned almost as many times as Larry King has been married. It is an oddly shaped piece of land that lies in the very heart of Hamilton. We call it Gore Park. Despite all this turmoil, the Gore survives, sometimes a little worse for wear, but nevertheless alive, both in our hearts and in our midst. Perhaps, in its own way, it symbolizes the tenacity of the very people who own it – Hamiltonians. We just keep getting back up every time we’re knocked down.

If the City of Hamilton’s Public Works Department delivers on the promise it has spent considerable effort articulating, Gore Park is in for a memorable makeover. Although it will still be bisected by Hughson and John, the Gore Master Plan plan calls for a pedestrian-zoned, elongated piazza running from James to Catharine. For the historically-minded, that means it would run from the front door of what was once the Royal Connaught Hotel, to the spot where the Birk’s Clock once hung. This can only be made possible by the removal of the buses that used to stop at the southern edge of the park. Their departure opens up the road to some new thinking, of which there is a dearth in Hamilton at the moment.

The idea is to bring some life back into the park by adding much needed design elements to the three sections that would form this elongated piazza. The first section runs from James to Hughson and includes the existing fountain. The second runs from Hughson to John and includes the existing Cenotaph. The third section runs from John to Catharine and includes the pie-shaped land in front of the former Royal Connaught Hotel.

The Public Works Department spent the last 12 months developing this plan via a formal citizens input process that included five, 2-hour+ meetings, site walks and public showings of potential designs. As a member of the 25-30 person, citizens committee, I can report first hand that Public Works have done themselves, and all of the rest of us, proud in terms of the process. It was a real dialogue, not the more common “look at our already completed presentation panels and talk to our hired consultants” process that some other City departments seem to favour. In this process we got to talk to, listen to and work directly with Pat Bollenberghe, the well-credentialled urban designer who was awarded the design contract by the City. Our input actually showed up in his drawings, including suggested revisions. Whether you like the preferred solution or not, you can’t criticize Public Works for a lack of public input. Having said that, the process is a long way from being over. The preferred solution has to be presented to Council by Public Works, who have invited all members of the citizens committee to attend. From there, who knows what will happen. Councillors may be supportive in principal, but not financially. Perhaps the biggest remaining challenge is to keep the proposed solution whole, and not nickel and dime it to death so the resulting compromise translates into something that’s both unrecognizable and unacceptable. We’re a little too good at this in Hamilton, so we need to be vigilant about this one. Some may recall the concrete block washroom bunker that was part of an earlier ‘renovation’ of the park. Hey, if you can’t afford quality, go cheap.

Here’s a brief summary of the design highlights-by-section. All sections are linked visually and physically through a linear ‘carriage-way’ that is evident in the drawing.

Section 1 – James to Hughson – Queen Victoria still rules. The areas around her will be upgraded and formalized. More seating and more trees. Hard surface paving begins on the west side of James. Width of the park has been extended on the south side, including more areas for planted beds. Area around the fountain is expanded and more fountain-oriented seating is added. Grass and planted beds go right to the edge of the pedestrianized street. More room for café tables and umbrellas. Planted beds at the edge of the sidewalk. Provision for the installation of a portable stage located on Hughson for special concerts/events with better sight lines.

Section 2 – Hughson to John – Cenotaph is not only respected but enhanced with clearer sight lines, more formalized grassy areas, trees and lighting. Area to the south of the Cenotaph is formalized and opened up to accommodate gatherings. Planters added to southern sidewalk. Sir John A. and his cannons remain, but may be moved slightly west to create space to the east in front of him rather than leaving him curbside.

Section 3 – John to Catharine – The design for this section is still being revised. Citizens felt that the original proposed design catered too much to vehicles in front of the old Royal Connaught. Now that it will not be, according to its owners, a hotel, there is no need to dedicate the space to taxis, tour buses, etc. After all, there’s plenty of room on the property to incorporate this sort of thing when the developers finally put up their hotel. Citizens on the committee saw no need to allocate publicly-owned land for this purpose. The idea is to make sure this narrow, triangular piece of land looks and feels connected to the other two sections. Seating, trees, planters and a water feature are all part of the design.

If you want more information on the Gore Master Plan process and outputs, it’s worth checking out the Public Work’s Gore Master Plan website.