City of Hamilton Honors East Kiwanis Place – Award of Excellence

Award of Excellence: Architecture

City of Hamilton open space development, Kiwanis Club of Hamilton East, Inc. The Ottawa Street North project is a small urban plaza in the middle of a thriving business district built on the site of a building fire. The modest-sized open space celebrates the sewing, fabric and home décor businesses that have defined the area for years.

A vacant gravel lot on Ottawa Street North has been turned into a whimsical meeting place. In a joint project by the Kiwanis Club of Hamilton East Inc., the Ottawa Street Business Improvement Area and the City of Hamilton an award-winning design for a community open space was developed taking its cue from the famed Ottawa Street North fabric district. The parkette, complete with oversize spools of thread, a large thimble, large buttons, quilt patterned coloured paving stones and knitting needle light standards, won the award of excellence for landscape architecture.

The parkette projects an air of comfort and confidence because it is designed to crime prevention standards. It’s wheelchair accessible with the games tables having space for players in wheelchairs. There is a good design that balances the social needs around a project with the technical needs of converting open space to a charming parkette. The specially made sewer grates look like crochet work and the coloured paving stone pattern reflects an old-fashioned quilt.

The Kiwanis Club of Hamilton East Inc. was chartered 67 years ago and its roots are on Ottawa Street North.