Plans to transform a heritage church in downtown Hamilton into a concert venue are getting closer to becoming a reality.
New Vision United Church is hoping to find a way to raise $3.9 million in funding to renovate the historic church at Main Street West and MacNab Street South and turn it into a 1,000-seat music hall.
It’s been seven years since the idea first came up at Juno Fest and since then, Sonic Unyon and Supercrawl have put on successful “proof of concept” shows with headliners like Terra Lightfoot, Dan Mangan and Jeff Tweedy.
Ian Sloan, who is coordinating New Vision’s music hall initiative, said the city’s Music Strategy committee reached out and said Hamilton is currently lacking a mid-sized venue like this for touring musicians who wouldn’t necessarily sell out FirstOntario Concert Hall or FirstOntario Centre.
He also said it would be helpful for Hamilton-based musicians.
“If you’re in the city of Hamilton and you’re going up the rungs of the ladder as a musician or a performer, we need more spaces like this size in the city in order for people to stay in the city and grow their art and their craft here.”
The heritage-designated church was built in 1868 and would need a lot of work to turn it into a state-of-the-art concert venue.
Renovation planning has determined that the building will need structural reinforcement of the main floor, a large suite of gender-neutral washrooms to meet the occupancy load of the auditorium, safety enhancements in the balcony area, improved accessibility features, sound and lighting support, amenities for patrons, crews, and performers, and significant improvements in ventilation — which includes air conditioning.
Right now, Sloan said they’re focusing on developing a clear structure for operation and programming at the venue.
“We’re looking to put together a group of people that can make this a long-term success, so that’s going to need a lot of different talents for sure,” he said.
“It’s going to need people that can raise money. It’s going to need people that can work the financing element of a project like this, it’s obviously going to need an operator who runs a venue and runs it as well as any venue, whether it’s Massey Hall or FirstOntario Concert Hall next door. So we see ourselves as hopefully providing a catalyst for that to develop.”
Musicians like Tom Wilson and Arkells’ frontman Max Kerman are among those who are voicing their support for the initiative.
“Hamilton deserves a venue this size run with integrity and thoughtfulness,” said Wilson in a release about the initiative. “The Music Hall is a stage that opens the doors of opportunity to other artists and that is the most important role a cultural centre can offer.”
Kerman said he’s excited that the space is “getting some TLC” and that “a beautiful space in the heart of downtown Hamilton for people to congregate and celebrate art and community is much needed”.
It’s not clear how long it will be before the church is officially transformed into a modern music hall but Sloan said they hope it’ll be sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, New Vision is now accepting bookings for events and performances at the unrenovated space to give Hamiltonians a sense of its potential as a music hall — potentially as early as this October.
Those who want to learn more about the initiative can visit New Vision’s website for the music hall and those looking to use the space sometime before renovations get underway can reach Sloan by email or by phone at 289-440-3397.