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GARY W. ZEBROSKI
e-mail
gary@zebroski.com
telephone
905-575-9333
Ontario Association of Architects
Architectural Institute of
British Columbia
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
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INSTITUTIONAL
PROJECTS
CANADIAN MUSIC HALL
OF FAME
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
by
Golden Horseshoe Enterprises Inc |
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The Canadian Music Hall of Fame would
be a central waterfront destination at Pier 8 on Hamilton’s recreational
west harbour, and would be located between the Federal Marine Discovery
Centre now under construction, and the HMCS Haida. The proposed development
would be an approximately 50,000 square foot facility located over two
levels. The building design incorporates gold-tinted steel and a generous
amount of glass to promote the flow of natural light, and is a
horseshoe-shaped structure representing southern Ontario’s Golden
Horseshoe, with Hamilton as the centre-point between Toronto and Niagara
Falls. This design allows the structure to wrap a natural outdoor
amphitheatre setting which could hold approximately 5,000 people for music,
comedy, theatre, and other forms of live entertainment. Cabling running from
the top of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame to a stage which would be modular
and installed for performances, could fly banners and add colour, and could
also form the structure for a non-permanent roof to help extend the season
for the amphitheatre. The surround sound system would be located in the
horseshoe and projected north towards the bay so as to minimize noise impact
on the residential neighbourhoods to the south.
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The Music Hall of Fame would be a
multi-dimensional, musically-themed entertainment centre featuring
interactive displays. The building’s interior would include an intimate
indoor performing venue for approximately 1,200 people,
virtual-technological attractions, educational, archival, and display
components, and of course the chamber honouring the inductees who have been
admitted by CARAS into the Hall of Fame. The project’s local
Hamilton-based proponent, Golden Horseshoe Enterprises, is also specifically
proposing to include an interactive state-of-the-art educational recording
studio which will offer all visitors, specifically children and student
tours, the opportunity to experience, learn and directly participate in the
process of writing, creating, recording and producing music. |
| The effort to bring the Music Hall of
Fame to Hamilton is centred around negotiations with the Canadian Academy
of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the organization which organizes
the annual Juno Awards, promotes Canadian musicians, and selects the
inductees into the Music Hall of fame. On June 12, 2003, Golden Horseshoe
Enterprises signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CARAS giving them
the exclusive negotiating rights to bring the Music Hall of Fame to
Hamilton. Their vision for the Hall of Fame sees the new facility as a
centrepiece for the emerging new critical mass of destination points
already approved for the area, including the Federal Discovery Centre and
the Haida, as well as those still to be decided upon. The group supports
the "Setting Sail" planning process currently being pursued by
the City of Hamilton and the Port Authority, and agree final plans for the
recreational development of the entire west harbour area should be done in
an incremental fashion. They believe the first of these incremental
decisions should be an accommodation of the Music Hall of Fame project,
based on the premise that if CARAS is prepared to accept a private-sector
driven, unsolicited offer to develop the Hall in Hamilton, then the
Municipality should enthusiastically respond by doing all it can to bring
this marquee attraction to Hamilton. |
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It should be noted that in the mid-1990’s, when
CARAS had issued a Request for Proposals across the country seeking
proponents for the Music Hall of Fame, over a half-dozen municipalities
applied. Hamilton responded and was in fact short-listed until the
decision to award to Toronto was made. Hamilton’s bid, submitted by the
Economic Development Department, promised CARAS access to any
municipally-owned land as a potential site. The Municipality stated they
would organize the financing of the project’s construction, related
soft-costs and land assembly, develop the structure and deliver it to
CARAS on a turn-key basis. Notwithstanding CARAS’ decision in 1998 and
the subsequent closing of this Municipal file, the bid by the then Region
of Hamilton-Wentworth provides an important precedent in establishing the
Municipality’s interest in the Music Hall of Fame and their ideas as to
what constituted appropriate civic involvement in such a project. |
| The Music Hall of Fame project team is
now working hard to add layers of detail to the plan. The group is meeting
regularly with Municipal and Port officials on an ongoing basis. In
August, 2003, Hamilton City Council unanimously passed a motion formally
reopening the City’s involvement in pursuing the Music Hall of Fame.
That same month, the Hamilton Port Authority instructed its Chairman to
write a letter to CARAS, expressing their interest in attracting the Music
Hall of Fame to this community. Meetings, conversations and presentations
have also been made to those who would be most directly affected by the
development; the residents and businesses of the north-end and west
harbour neighbourhoods. Golden Horseshoe Enterprises believes recreational
development of the waterfront must be properly-scaled, balanced, and
sensitive to local concerns regarding noise, traffic, parking and
transportation issues. The Music Hall of Fame project team looks forward
to working with all these groups, many members of the recently formed
Recreational Boaters Alliance, as the future of Hamilton’s waterfront is
planned and redeveloped.
Our message is clear; even though CARAS made the decision to award the
Music Hall of Fame to Toronto in 1998, for a variety of reasons it was
never built, and the Academy has agreed to entertain this unsolicited
offer to develop the facility in Hamilton. The plan does not seek the
taxpayers of Hamilton to be responsible for funding this private-sector
driven project. Financing for the estimated $30 million Hall of Fame will
come from a multi-level partnership of corporate sponsors, benefactors,
philanthropic donations, and other non-traditional lending sources joining
a certain percentage of traditional financing. As a not-for-profit with
charitable status themed around a unique nationally-mandated museum
concept, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame will be perfectly positioned to
apply for the kind of funding previously seen in sources like Ontario
SuperBuild and the Federal Industry Canada infrastructure programme. The
project’s proponents fully intend to access any and all appropriate
public-sector funding opportunities, to augment and support the
private-sector partners, that would in any event be available to the
Canadian Music Hall of Fame regardless of its location. The group does not
believe, however, that the City of Hamilton’s proper role in this
project is that of financier. The City’s most important contribution is
effected by the fact that they own the lands, currently leased to the Port
Authority, on which the Hall would be developed.
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The Canadian Music Hall of Fame project
team is now looking to finalize negotiations with CARAS and secure an
Agreement which would commit the project to Hamilton. As long as CARAS is
ultimately prepared to accept our unsolicited offer, the Municipality and
Port Authority need to express their commitment to CARAS, subject of course
to whatever conditions protect the taxpayer and ensure the Municipality is
not subjected to any inappropriate financial exposure. |
| Golden Horseshoe Enterprises and the
entire Music Hall of Fame project team in Hamilton are confident building
the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Hamilton will have a similar effect on
this community as building the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had on
Cleveland, Ohio in the 1990’s. Within a couple of years of opening their
Hall, Cleveland was able to boast that their city was the hottest new
tourist destination, on a percentage increase basis, of any community in
North America. The same thing can happen here in Hamilton. With a unique
geographic location in the heart of the Golden Horseshoe, in the middle of
the third largest marketplace on the continent, Hamilton stands poised to
finally realize the potential of the "Ambitious City" which has
gone untapped for far too long. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame represents
one of the most exciting opportunities this city will ever have, and the
project team is working hard to deliver the Hall to Hamilton. |
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