Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

Hamilton Place

Location:   50 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario

The earliest idea for the theatre-auditorium which would become Hamilton Place can be dated back to 1957, with Mayor Lloyd Jackson's idea of having a combination sports, science and cultural centre in downtown Hamilton. He formed a committee to investigate setting up a municipal concert hall. This committee consisted of one controller, two aldermen and six other people. Their duties were:

• to examine, study and review the present auditorium facilities and needs of all cultural groups in the city
• to report their findings and recommendations as to type and size of facility that would best serve all groups
• to suggest a location and the best method of financing and management
• to hold formal hearings at which all cultural groups be given an opportunity to present
• briefs on their different needs and essential requirements
  

The auditorium committee members began inspecting secondary school auditoriums to see if any of them had facilities which could be converted into professional standard auditoriums by the city.

In 1961, a small group of dedicated Hamilton businessmen (the Theatre-Auditorium Foundation) began working on a plan for an auditorium-arena to be located downtown. Their original proposals included a theatre-auditorium with seating capacity for 1,500; an athletic centre-arena which seat about 9,500; a space planetarium; and finally, a national science and technology centre. All of this would occupy a two-block area near the heart of the city.

In May 1963, the construction of a $4,600,000 theatre-auditorium and convention centre was endorsed by city council. They adopted recommendations of the Theatre-Auditorium Foundation for a 2,000-seat cultural centre, with provision being made for the later addition of an 800-seat playhouse for intimate theatre. In terms of financing for this project, $2,370,000 would come from the city, $230,000 from centennial grants and $2,000,000 from public subscription.

Fundraisers soon began collecting the money needed to build the theatre-auditorium, even though by 1968 they still had no definite site set aside to build it on. By 1969, the cost of the building had risen considerably. Eventually, a site was decided upon. A 6.5-acre site on Merrick Street at the end of a grassy boulevard stretching south to City Hall was available for the project.

An architect, Trevor Garwood-Jones, was chosen to design the theatre-auditorium.

The Great Brick Debate of 1971 was the next major issue to arise concerning the theatre-auditorium. The argument was over whether Canadian or American bricks would be used to build the actual building. Studies had shown that American bricks resulted in better acoustics than Canadian bricks. The solution that was arrived upon was that Canadian bricks would be used for the exterior of the building, where acoustics were not important, while the acoustically-superior American bricks would be used on the interior of the building. The cost of the building was estimated at $8.6 million.

On October 13, 1970, the theatre-auditorium plans were approved by the Ontario Municipal Board with the work contract being given to Frid Construction for $7.7 million, plus special installation and consultant charges, bringing construction of the building to a total of $8.5 million. It was agreed that work would start at the end of that March. In the meantime, a groundbreaking ceremony was held, on October 28, 1970 at 12:30pm. Along with the music and speeches, a cheque for $1,200,000 was presented to Mayor Vic Copps by Colin Glassco, chairman of the Theatre-Auditorium Foundation.

One year into the construction, the building was already beginning to take shape. It was estimated that construction would be completed by autumn of 1972.

In April, 1971 it was announced that construction costs of the theatre-auditorium were up by $1.5 million due to calculation errors that had been made earlier on by the construction company. Work on the building continued despite the increased cost. By November, 1971 construction of the outer walls was nearing completion. It was estimated that construction would be completed by March of 1973.

During the design and construction of the theatre-auditorium, great measures were taken to ensure that acoustics in the building would be very good and to keep out external vibrations. The entire theatre section was built to be separate from the rest of the building by a gap filled with styrofoam. The air circulation system was built with special silencers to keep the noise level down. 1,067 speakers were placed throughout the theatre, with 1,037 of them in the floor between the seats.

A hydraulic stage lift was installed in the theatre so that a large stage section in the front could be raised and lowered. When an orchestra is playing, the front stage is lowered and the seats rolled off. The stage is then raised to a higher position for the orchestra to use. A four-ton wall can be lowered to completely seal off the rear stage area.

In 1972, the name Hamilton Place was picked for the theatre-auditorium, which would be "a place for the people of Hamilton." Other suggestions for the name of the new complex included Katamavic (Eskimo term for meeting place), the Lyre, Hamilton Garden Place, Festival Hall and Theatre-Auditorium. Notlimah Centre was also suggested by one citizen, because "it is Hamilton spelled backwards and has a musical sound."

As construction of Hamilton Place neared completion, an opening ceremony was scheduled for September 22, 1973. A ceremony on this date was followed by a month-long celebration at Hamilton Place, which featured more than 90 performances, offering something for everyone. This included performances by Tony Bennett, comedian Victor Borge, jazz musician Maynard Ferguson and country and western stars Ferlin Husky and Jeanne Pruett. The most expensive ticket for any one of these shows was $7 for a special performance by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Over the course of a month, more than 84,000 people attended events at Hamilton Place.

The opening ceremony was made special by two compositions written especially for the occasion. One by Galt MacDermott, the Canadian composer of the Broadway super-hits Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona, was Take This Bread, A Mass In Our Time. The second composition was a fanfare named Place Setting, A Celebration For The Opening of Hamilton Place, written by another leading Canadian classical composer, Louis Applebaum. Following a performance of O Canada by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, many people in the audience were in tears. The following day, the Hamilton Spectator wrote of the performance, "Only a moron would have remained unaffected."

Also a part of the opening ceremony was a twelve-hour long party in front of City Hall. Besides a number of rock groups playing at the party, there were two fireworks displays, a lot of pizza and free giveaways. More than 25,000 people attended. Mayor Vic Copps conducted an official opening of Hamilton Place at 8pm by cutting a steel bar with an acetylene torch.

George McPherson, the first General Manager of Hamilton Place, stressed upon its opening that it was to have an informal atmosphere. This meant, he said, that going there in jeans would be perfectly acceptable and that people did not necessarily have to wear a suit and tie to enjoy a performance at Hamilton Place.

Upon the building's opening, more than fifty students were hired as ushers. All of them were girls between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four. All of the ushers were given a standard uniform of a brown skirt and orange blouse. Hamilton Place only had standard-sized uniforms though, so girls were only hired if they could fit into the supplied uniforms. Although not many of the girls were too excited about their uniforms, many of them were greatly enthused about their jobs. One of the girls was quoted by the Hamilton Spectator as saying, "I love show business. I plan to be a singer. I can hardly wait to meet all the different stars. I'll probably break into the dressing rooms."

In 1974, an architectural award, The Leather Medal Award, was given to Trevor P. Garwood-Jones by The Ontario Association of Architects, for the architectural design of Hamilton Place.

In 1978, Hamilton Place's sound and lighting systems were improved for a total cost of $90,000. Later that year, a new General Manager was named for Hamilton Place. Tom Burrows had formerly managed the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto. By this time, the annual operating deficit of Hamilton Place had risen to nearly $1 million. The subscription series of plays had died down after two unsuccessful seasons and ticket prices had nearly doubled from $7 in 1973 to $13.50 in 1979.

In late-1980, a large electric sign was erected outside the Main Street entrance of the theatre. The sign could be programmed by computer to display a series of messages advertising events occurring at Hamilton Place.

The early 1980's brought an increase in violence to Hamilton Place. A twenty-two-year-old man died as a result of head injuries received in a fight after the Canadian Amateur Bodybuilding Championships, which were held at the theatre-auditorium in August, 1980. The fight was an audience brawl. In early 1981, an eighteen-year-old girl attending a performance was hit in the head by a beer bottle thrown from a balcony above. She was sent to the hospital and given stitches.

In 1981, the sound system at Hamilton Place was once again improved. This time it cost $50,000.

On September 22, 1983, Hamilton Place celebrated its 10^th anniversary with a birthday bash held in the Hamilton Art Gallery plaza. A series of special performances were held throughout September and October in honour of the occasion. One of these performances was an original play written by Mark Shekter, a former Hamiltonian, called Hometown.

By the following year, Hamilton Place was being described as being a "shining star losing its sparkle," as programming became "thin and pallid." More acts were being booked into Kitchener than Hamilton Place. People began asking what could be done to restore Hamilton Place to the great theatre it was when it first opened. Acts such as Evita and Joan Rivers were being turned down by Tom Burrows because he thought that they were too expensive and that Hamiltonians would not want to pay close to $30 for a ticket. Eventually, though, he did book these acts and they turned out to be very successful.

In 1986, the Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. was created to manage Hamilton Place, the Convention Centre and Copps Coliseum. At this time, the Hamilton Place board of directors was disbanded.

Discussions soon began on how Hamilton Place could be made to look more appealing. City council debated on whether or not a new marquee out front of the building would be a good idea or not. Tenders for the marquee turned out to be too expensive when they were called for in 1989. Disputes soon began over whether or not Tom Burrows had spent too much money on designs for the proposed marquee. The Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. alleged that Tom Burrows had been authorized to spend no more than $6,600 on the design but that he had actually spent close to $19,000. Mr. Burrows was given a paid leave of absence until the matter could be resolved. The Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. decided to reprimand but not dismiss Burrows and he resumed work not long afterward.

In June of 1990, Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. staff received a consultant's report which warned that there could be a potential asbestos health risk in Hamilton Place, particularly near the stage area. Stagehands decided that "the show must go on" and continued working, despite the risks involved.

The Hamilton Place Task Force was formed around this time to handle the job of balancing the needs of the local arts community with the city's desire to turn in a profit. The Task Force was made up of members of city council, arts organizations and Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. staff.

On September 21, 1990, Tom Burrows submitted his resignation papers to the Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. His resignation was effective as of June 30, 1991. Following that, the Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. assumed managerial duties of Hamilton Place.

In 1992, Hamilton Place was again experiencing problems with its sound system. Audience members complained that the sound was often too loud and distorted and that something should be done about it.

A new state of the art billboard sign was installed outside of Hamilton Place in 1994. The sign was a full-colour, electronic sign that cost the taxpayers nothing at all because it was paid for by companies whose logos would be displayed on it.

In late-1998, it was announced that Hamilton Place would undergo a change in name. The theatre-auditorium would now be known as the Ronald V. Joyce Centre for the Performing Arts at Hamilton Place. In exchange for this honour, Ron Joyce, co-founder of Tim Hortons, donated $5 million to the City of Hamilton. His donation would be paid in installments, with $1.2 million first year, followed by $200,000 every following year, over a 25-year period.

References:
Hamilton Place Scrapbooks.  Special Collections, HPL.