Doors Pub
Tags:
Durand,
Mansard Roof,
Stone
Address: 54-56 Hess Street South
Date Built: 1852
Doors Pub est. 1993 - 56 Hess South was built in 1852 by a contractor & quarry owner, Robert McElroy, on property purchased in 1849 for 529 pounds, 8 horses and a cow! McElroy was the mayor of Hamilton from 1862 - 1864 and as a contractor participated in the construction of the "Great Western Railway." He married a daughter of the Hess family and is thought to have died in 1881 at the age of 71.
Located on the outskirts of the Hess Village area, this house of stone construction was built in 1852 by Robert McElroy who was mayor of Hamilton from 1862-1864. He purchased the land for £ 529, eight horses and a cow in 1849 (Historical Hamilton, Undated). The building changed hands several times after McElroy's death in 1888 and was divided into multiple spaces until reaching it's current configuration in 1993. In addition to the pub the structure houses an architecture firm on the main floor and apartments on the upper level. As is consistent with the profile of Durand, these apartments located at the north end of the neighbourhood are considerably less expensive than homes located to the south at just $670 per month for rent (HouseMe, 2012). The restaurant patio area operates from May through October and was added in 2000 for a one year trial period and approved by city council as a permanent fixture in 2001 after receiving no complaints from local residents during the trial (Preston, 2012).
By: Ashleigh Patterson & Geoff Rose
Footsteps In Time Volume 1
Bill Manson
Footsteps In Time collects information about the history of Hamilton's downtown neighbourhoods, arranged in walking tours.