The city's last strip club has been saved from demolition and will be resurrected — not as a peeler joint, but in the mould of an iconic hotel that predated Hamilton Strip.

You can thank local heritage advocates — and the lower city's historically inadequate underground pipes — for winning a second life for the historic Hanrahan Hotel.

Konrad Sit, whose family has owned 92 Barton St. E. for decades, said he wants to "repurpose," rather than knock down the infamous three-storey brick club that closed last August — but still boasts a neon-pink marquee advertising Hamilton Strip.

That effort includes exploring the prospect of a "boutique hotel" on the top floors as a nod to the pre-peeler past of the building, which Thomas Hanrahan opened as a hotel under his name in 1908.

Sit said he wants to allow his tenant to unveil specific plans in the future for the rest of the renovated building, but promised it will be a "hospitality space curated for the local community ... very much oriented for Hamiltonians."

That's a big change from the council-approved plan to demolish the building and replace it with a medical clinic and townhouses on a neighbouring John Street property.

Shortly before the last dance at the club six months ago, would-be developer John Barton Investments labelled the old building unsalvageable and promised it would be knocked down this year.

But plans ground to a halt when the developer learned the city would not cover the cost of replacing and upgrading more than a block worth of underground pipes needed to properly service the townhouses.

Enter Sarah Sheehan, a vocal heritage advocate and writer who publicly urged saving the building in a Spectator column by Paul Wilson last fall.

An artists'r rendering of a proposed development incorporating the old Hanrahan's building on Barton Street just east of James Street. Image courtesy Bill Curran. | Handout photo

Since then, she has reached out to Sit, made contact with members of the Hanrahan family and written two opinion pieces for the Spectator — the most recent celebrating the hotel's reprieve from the wrecking ball.

Sheehan figures the once-and-future hotel should inspire heritage lovers to not give up on old buildings in redeveloping Hamilton. "If there's a building you care about, don't wait for the city. Reach out. Speak up," she wrote in her column.

Sheehan is now acting as an "adviser" on the evolving building reclamation.

"I take her opinions quite seriously," said Sit, who toured the building with Sheehan to identify heritage elements that could be saved ahead of asbestos abatement and interior wall removal.

Sit said, so far, he has found and salvaged what he believes to be Prohibition-era doors for old beer fridges and long-sealed tunnels in the basement, which also holds an old steel vault.

Sarah Sheehan outside Hamilton Strip in September 2019. | Cathie Coward/The Hamilton Spectator

It remains to be seen what will be uncovered when main floor work removes old drywall and strip club-era trim. "I've told the crew to keep watch for any old architectural finishes, tins ceilings, that sort of thing," he said.

Ward councillor Jason Farr expressed cautious optimism about the change in plans for the property, noting he wants to hear more details.

He said council "took some flak" for backing the previously requested demolition in the name of bringing a medical clinic and new homes to a struggling section of Barton Street.

Regardless, Farr said he would support the "positive reuse" of a building that for many years spurred regular police and safety complaints.

For now, plans for townhouses on an adjoining property — which once housed an infamous industrial building full of toxic waste barrels — will stay on the back-burner.

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But Sit expressed hope the "evolution" of Barton Street will eventually bring upgraded underground servicing that will make the residential development project more affordable.

mvandongen@thespec.com

905-526-3241 | @Mattatthespec