Raise the Hammer

I'm all in favour of saving historical landmarks. Hamilton has not shown much desire to do that, either downtown or in the 'burbs. We lose many historical building & wonderful pieces of architecture every year.
It seems a bit flimsy to say that, "For once we are taking a stand & by golly we Will save This One." I've heard that so many times, & it is frequently followed by a fire or some other almost convenient catastrophy. Sorry, but I don't buy into that line anymore. If you have the means to save a building, then shut up & save it.

Toronto? Only the facade of Maple Leaf Gardens exists now, only new construction has unearthed the former Parliament Buildings, & the old docks & markets near Lake Ontario. Castle Loma was slated to be demolished, until the Kewanis Club saved the castle. It happens to every city, that until they begin to have a sense of history, they see no merit in keeping historic buildings alive & vital.

Perhaps this Connaught Hotel fervor is the beginning of something new in Hamilton, or maybe it's just another aspect of The Blame Game? It's just taken on a life of it's own, & a pretty nasty one.

The same people who claim to want to preserve & revitalize Downtown are the same ones who say that it's so horrible, they won't go there -Until it becomes what They want it to be. There are a lot of 'Theys' out there. Who's individual vision should Hamilton follow? Wasn't The Eaton Centre one of these forward looking 'visions'?

The only streets that seem to have gotten any attention are the side streets. The Ferguson Station area is Very pretty, but alas there are almost no business' on it. King & Main remain dirty, & uncared for. (& still one way speedways.) Why did we pretty up the side streets & leave the main ones to rot? Is that supposed to be a sense of History? Isn't there any history on central King & Main streets?

You can't blame the working poor or any other kind of poor for the fact that Downtown has been allowed to become unsellable & grotty. They don't have steam cleaners to take decades of grunge off the sidewalks & buildings, & they didn't make Main & King one way freeways. Whatever part they have to play in what some see as 'The Downfall' of Hamilton is minimal. Every great city has it homeless, it's addicts & it's criminals. They are a VERY SMALL but very visable part of the many people/families who live at or below the poverty line. You do not recognize most of the working poor, but you do notice a panhandler & you choose to define 'poor' in terms of panhandlers, junkies, etc.. Ie: You are ignorant of what & who surrounds you.

If you want to lay blame, try laying at the feet of those who have made things this way, & those who made a tidy profit while doing just that. (Local governments of the past, & developers)