City’s unique waterfront venue

Last summer, the City of Hamilton launched a massive renovation of the former No. 6 Shed on Front Street, with a host of significant improvements aimed at turning the 6,500 sq.ft. rental space into the City’s premier waterfront event venue. It has now been renamed and rebranded as Pier Six Waterfront Complex.

The City worked with local architects to develop a plan for the building that would take advantage of the structure’s unique attributes and exceptional location, while also addressing the challenges of the building.

The renovated, fully airconditioned building includes a bar area and a catering kitchen. The venue’s interior spills out through generous double doors onto a grand patio – the ideal spot for waterside dining and dancing under the stars.

“This structure is more than 100 years old,” explains Chief Operating Officer and City Engineer Patrick Cooper. “With buildings that old, you continually find issue after issue as you peel back the layers of previous renovations, as we have found with Pier Six. We took it back to

its bare bones, so that what we were left with is a solid structure which will last for years, with minimal upkeep required.”

New electrical conduits have been installed in the building’s walls and the site’s plumbing upgraded, allowing for sparkling new ‘his and her’ bathrooms to be created — a major selling point when organisations are looking for functional event space.

Contractors have recut and shaped all of the window openings on the waterside, which are being changed to full-length windows to take advantage of the harbourside views.

Mr. Cooper explains some of the challenges that workers have overcome: “Above every window and doorway is a support lintel which is essentially a concrete structure with a steel rod inside. What we found when we were renovating is that most of the rods had rusted over time and blown out the surrounding concrete. The contractors have had to chip out the old rebar and replace with new rods, which was something we hadn’t initially anticipated.”

Another unexpected renovation issue that workers discovered was significant termite infestation and consequential damage to the building’s roof.

“It wasn’t until we ripped down the ceiling that we realised how serious the termite issue was,” says Mr. Cooper. “The wooden ceiling beams have been removed and will be replaced with modern steel beams.” These new beams give the interior a sleek, modern, and subtle industrial charm.

The Front Street building has long been used as a cruise ship terminal; however, about ten years ago, the City moved the terminal to the lower floor and began to rent the top floor as a space for events.

“This versatile waterfront venue has been purposely engineered to be easily transformed into whatever you want it to be,” Mr. Cooper says, “Pier Six will be the ideal location for conferences, dinner parties, charity functions, and private events.”

KEY CONTRACTORS

• ABM • Archway Ltd. • Pembroke Tile & Stone