Fewer than one per cent of the buildings in Greater Hamilton today were around when Canada was born a century-and-a-half ago.

There are about 940 of them, from Dundurn Castle and other grand mansions to wood-frame workers' cottages in the North End and farmhouses in the hinterlands.

We now know this thanks to Alissa Golden, heritage specialist with the city. She undertook a Canada 150 project here called Still Standing. Letters went out a few months ago to those 900-plus property owners, telling them they were eligible for a red sign that says "This building was standing in 1867."

More than 300 people responded, and picked up their signs. Though the 150th birthday has passed, there's no law that says those signs have to come down. And they would be good to put out on the lawn each Canada Day. Golden still has a few left — if your place qualifies, just Google Canada 150 Hamilton.

At York and MacNab, there is no Still Standing sign in the window of the Coppley clothing building. We should not expect one anytime soon.

The place sure qualifies. When Hamilton chose to protect it under the Ontario Heritage Act nearly 40 years ago, the Reasons for Designation began this way: "This is the finest surviving Pre-Confederation commercial building in the City."

It went up in 1856, the work of skilled Scots stonemasons. There is a centre courtyard, arched windows, an elaborate stone chimney. This is a grand, European-style treasure right across from the Hamilton Farmers' Market.

A turn-of-the-century sketch of the Coppley building took a few fanciful liberties – including adding an extra floor and making people the size of ants. | Local History & Archives , Hamilton Public Library

Yet, somehow, all these years later we still have not managed to get this property designated. There's no case like it in the city.

When Hamilton went after designation in 1979, heritage protection in Ontario was in its infancy. And when the owner of the Coppley building said he didn't want his property designated, the city backed down.

Today, it usually doesn't work that way. When the owners of some pre-Confederation buildings on Gore Park wanted to demolish them four years ago, downtown councillor Jason Farr orchestrated an 11th-hour designation. The owners fought it, but now agree that adaptive reuse makes sense after all. Those buildings on the Gore will live on.

Three years ago, Farr met with representatives of the Coppley building owners to explain the benefits of the property being designated, including loans and grants for upkeep.

No thanks, they said. And the city chose to just let it ride. The belief was that the original Intent to Designate provided all the protection needed. No need to rock the boat at a property which provided several hundred jobs right downtown.

But last month came the news they won't be making suits in that building much longer. Production will move to a new smaller building a block away, some 18 months from now. That will leave the Coppley building without a tenant.

A family named Enkin bought the building in 1950, and they still own it. First it was Max Enkin. Now it's his son Larry, of Toronto.

The Enkins sold the clothing business long ago, but always held on to the building. And always resisted it being designated. They felt that somehow it might interfere with the manufacturing going on behind those historic walls.

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The Coppley building at York and MacNab, erected in 1856, has been the home to clothing manufacturing for more than a century. But that's going to change soon. | Local History & Archives , Hamilton Public Library

But the game's about to change. Perhaps now, late in life, Larry Enkin would consider selling the building.

"This is very new," he says. "Anything is possible. Maybe you have some ideas."

Sure, as do others. Commercial, with ground floor retail. Working space for craftspeople. Boutique hotel. Anything but a teardown for a highrise.

Enkin still does not want a designation. The city's heritage committee has just placed the property on a cautionary watch list.

"That's a great first step," Farr says, "and if there's a move toward designation, I would support that fully."

The building still stands, a distinguished member of the older-than-Canada one-per-centers. It makes sense to be sure that exclusive club does not lose the Coppley.

Paul Wilson's column appears Tuesdays in the Go section.

PaulWilson.Hamilton@gmail.com

Twitter: @PaulWilsonInHam

- Coppley Apparel is on the move in downtown Hamilton