Hamilton’s historic architecture makes for the perfect movie sets
- Cynthia Carpenter
- 24 Nov 2019
It’s said that Hamilton is a city with a cinematic soul; one with architectural significance and resonance. From the deep blue, choppy waters of the harbourfront to the graffitied streets of downtown — the variety this city offers can capture just about any style of film, and filmmakers are taking note. Hamilton recently became the second busiest film location in Ontario and now hosts hundreds of productions every year.
The sense of a small town amid bright lights, big city architectural backdrops, sprawling rural landscapes, and Hamiltonians themselves all contribute to this thriving arts culture of film and architecture.
The Scottish Rite in particular has seen quite an uptick in its use in film. Located at the corner of King and Queen Street stands this magnificent structure, built in 1895 by James Balfour (1854-1917). Balfour built over thirty buildings in the Hamilton area – most notably the 1888 City Hall (which was sadly demolished in 1961). Both of these architectural sites have a historic significance of masonic culture, community, and politics.
Imported material from France, Italy, Spain, and Japan lines the interior of the Scottish Rite and its Victorian Masonic exterior has attracted filmmakers such as Guillermo Del Toro (Crimson Peak, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 2018) Bruce Miller (The Handmaid’s Tale (BAFTA / Emmy / American Film Institute award-winning 2019 TV series) and Warner Brothers’ 2019 film IT: Chapter Two. The Murdoch Mysteries and The Good Witch were also filmed here, and all of these productions put Hamilton firmly on the map with a wide and discerning viewing audience. As a result of filming, many Hamiltonians flocked to local bookshops and libraries to read and view back catalogue materials of these highlighted stories.
While the Scottish Rite has risen in popularity, the most frequently utilized filming location in the Hamilton area is The Cotton Factory at 270 Sherman Ave N. The reason for this appears to lie in the unique ambiguity and subsequent flexibility concerning the architecture of the building. This is described in their online promotion as being able to “accommodate scenes from the mid-1800’s to modern day and have been used for future apocalypses. There are also historic and modern indoor spaces perfect for film sets.” A list of filming done in 2018 at The Cotton Factory is as follows: Good Witch season 5, Murdoch Mysteries season 12, The Boys, The Handmaid’s Tale season 3, The Kindness of Strangers, The Umbrella Academy, and V-Wars.
From June through September 2010, The Kennedys was filmed in Hamilton at LIUNA station, the Roman Catholic Church on Locke, and the Scottish Rite. It featured Katie Holmes as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Greg Kinnear as JFK. This was a $20 million mini-series that aired on the US History Channel despite some criticism by Hollywood skeptics.
Some other noteworthy films of the past year include Guest of Honour, The Christmas Chronicles, and Shazam; all of which filmed large portions of their movies within Hamilton neighbourhoods such as James Street North, Gore Park and Corktown.
With 112 permits issued for filming in 2019, Hamilton continues to grow its influence as a cinema city. The 260,000 square foot CBS film and television studio in nearby Mississauga that came online earlier this year coupled with Netflix’s announcement that they are on track to exceed commitment of $500M towards Canadian production this year further supports the importance film will have in this region.
The historic buildings combined with filming done over recent years here in Hamilton have contributed to the deepening of the arts as well as the changing and developing of Hamilton’s identity. This has helped project us from a predominantly steel and university town into having an incredible arts scene that rivals Toronto.
Going forward, I wonder if we can look at more of the disused architecture and places in Hamilton to rejuvenate these buildings and areas for filming opportunities. There appears to be no shortage of good location sets if you take the time to truly explore what’s readily available in this city.
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