Behind the curtain at Hanrahan’s
The old hotel, which dates back to 1908, was slated to fall in favour of condos but is getting a new lease on life
Konrad Sit, owner of Hamilton Strip at 92 Barton St. E., led media on a tour of the historic building Wednesday afternoon. The old hotel, which dates back to 1908 as Hanrahan Hotel, is currently having its interior carefully dismantled.
Although the building was initially slated to be demolished — with a plan to build 44 townhouses and a medical clinic on the site — plans have recently changed and the focus now is on restoration of the building for use as a community hub.
Sit would not divulge the details, saying he would leave that to the new tenants who will make the announcement March 5 during an event for Mac Kids at the Cotton Factory.
The dismantling process, which started Jan. 7 and is scheduled to wrap up in mid-March, has revealed some interesting finds.
In the upper two storeys of the building, approximately two dozen of the original 30 hotel rooms with shared bathrooms are being restored.
On the main floor, two bars, a walk-in freezer, the stage, all the flooring and ceilings, and some walls have been removed from what was Hamilton Strip, leaving the area wide open, apart from a couple of old pool tables.
In the basement where an offtrack betting lounge most recently operated, colourful old wallpaper featuring fancily dressed gentlemen still clings to the wall in an area outside of bathroom.
But it’s further on that things get really interesting.
An old vault, and wine cellars, buried deep behind an old kitchen, next to an office are what Sit believes are the elements of a unique labyrinth run by those “in the know” in search of alcohol during prohibition times. Deeper still into the maze is the sealed entrance to old tunnels used to transport illegal liquor during the same period. Sit believes that the kitchen was the first line of defence for a turn-of-the-century speakeasy. He says, “it became obvious that something else was going on here, more than just running a tavern.”
It seems as if the building has deep roots as a community hub of sorts, so maybe it’s appropriate that it continues on as one — even if this one focuses on cultural diversity, accessibility, and unique creativity.