After over a decade of neglect, 21 John Street South will be demolished.

The City of Hamilton’s Property Standards Committee ordered Brad Lamb’s BJL Properties Inc. to demolish the decrepit building within 60 days.

BJL General Manager John-Paul Faccio said the company “acknowledges the City’s concerns” about the state of the four-storey building, which has been without a roof since at least 2016, and asked for a 12-month timeline to demolish the building in a “safe and financially sound manner”.

Faccio stated BJL’s engineering consultant installed bracing to the structure and that there is no risk of collapse for at least 18 months.

He said Brad Lamb’s development corporation is responding to the City’s building order by moving forward with a new hotel project. He said they need six to ten months to secure financing for the project.

City Building Manager Says The Matter is Urgent

“The building is in a serious state of disrepair and neglect,” Hamilton’s Manager of Building Inspections Bob Nuttall told the committee. “The ongoing exposure ot the elements exposes the building to further and expedited deterioration.”

Nuttall noted BJL’s engineers could not safely access any of the floors within the building, and they only inspected the upper levels from the stairwells.

“I am not sure the building is worth saving at this point in time,” Nuttall stated.

The City says the 60-day timeline is needed to ensure public safety, especially because the building is adjacent to a busy sidewalk in the downtown core, and the City is unwilling to risk any facade collapses.

Property Standards Chair Thomas Lofchik quipped, “Sometimes it takes 60 days to get a demolition permit.”

City lawyer Brandon Blackmore stated that the demolition permit would be expedited, adding that the City does not wish any delays in building safety matters in light of the uncontrolled collapse of the Gore Park buildings in November.

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Published: April 2, 2025
Last updated: April 3, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman

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  2. The old adage of ‘You can put all the lipstick you want on this pig’, but it’s still the biggest eyesore I’ve ever seen. And for what? More condos? Existing ones are still empty (but Hamilton will put up more)

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      1. Well said. I recently found out that the new vacant unit tax doesn’t apply to apartment or condo buildings.

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