‘Social cohesion’ library’s goal for Hamilton’s reimagined waterfront Discovery Centre

A new vision - with an eye cast to the past - is coming into focus for Hamilton's Discovery Centre.

The Hamilton Public Library hopes to repurpose the city-owned landmark on the west harbour for a new branch.

An area to showcase local history, an Indigenous-led gathering space and a cafe are also part of the proposed renovation.

It will be a positive place" that can advance social cohesion," chief librarian and CEO Paul Takala says.

Really what we're trying to do is expand our knowledge and learn from our histories as a way of building mutual understanding," he told the city's west harbour development subcommittee Tuesday.

The library board has agreed to set aside up to $250,000 to study the plan's feasibility.

But before taking additional steps, city politicians have asked staff to first float the preliminary option" for public feedback and Indigenous consultation. They're to report back by the end of the year.

That's my core concern," Coun. Cameron Kroetsch told the subcommittee. That we want to have these projects being led by Indigenous folks, period."

A project timeline puts a proposed concept" and recommendations for the building before council in 2025.

The future of the Discovery Centre, which is on Pier 8 beside Williams Fresh Cafe and an outdoor skating/roller rink, has been a topic of public discussion for years.

It opened in 2004 as the federal Marine Discovery Centre before the museum closed in 2010. More recently, a restaurant, Sarcoa, operated there before vacating the space amid a legal dispute in 2017.

The past council told staff to conduct an opportunity study" on its future use. That included an internal scan," which flagged the public library's interest in the building.

City politicians also asked staff to explore possible venues for a civic museum, which has been the goal of the Hamilton Museum Citizens' Committee for five years.

It's a shame and embarrassment" that Hamilton doesn't have a museum to chronicle its rich local history, member Dermot Nolan told the subcommittee Tuesday.

But the library, with its historical archives, would strike a perfect partnership" for the museum at a fabulous location."

The three-pillar concept" - the library, museum and Indigenous space - is even better" than a standalone museum, he told The Spectator.

We always wanted it to be a living space. This makes it a living space, not a dead, old museum."

The subcommittee's Discovery Centre discussion overlaps with Hamilton's years-long effort to refurbish the west harbour, including new stretches of boardwalk, a renewed marina, a breakwater and shoreline rehabilitation.

And in a deal with the city, a private development consortium plans to build 1,645 condo apartments and townhouses along with commercial space at Pier 8. The overall blueprint also includes a 45-storey tower that awaits council approval.

Waterfront Shores, meanwhile, has inked a five-year lease with the city to use a part of the Discovery Centre as a sales, presentation and construction office. That lease term formally started March 1.

That arrangement wouldn't slow the library's efforts to renovate the building, Takala said.

There's plenty to do: more consultation and study; the creation of a team to manage a professional museum; lining up capital funding for the work, he noted.

It's not a problem because there's so much work we have to do to get ready for this."

But the hope is to start staging exhibits in the Discovery Centre while Waterfront Shores is still in the building, Takala said.

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com