Faith-based think tank is a step closer to leasing a Hamilton home from 1836

The city will spend the next two months hammering out the details for a faith-based think tank to restore and lease one of Hamilton's oldest homes.

Cardus, a Christian research facility, says it will pay an estimated $1 million in restoration costs if it can sign a 20-year lease for Balfour House. Now the city will spend two months working out a lease agreement for 1 Scenic Dr.

"I'm very supportive, and open to the two-month timeline," Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Wednesday, when the general issues committee voted to go ahead. "I'm looking forward to having council approve this."

Balfour House is an empty 1836 stone mansion on the Mountain Brow. The Ontario Heritage Trust owns it, but the city is the steward. The city will get an opinion from the province before entering a lease.

Scott Burn built the 24-room home, which is also called Chedoke House. It includes a grand drawing room, a dining room and a widow's walk. It also has a stable with a schoolroom overhead that doubled on Sundays as a chapel.

The mansion changed owners over the years, including the Brydges, Dewars, and Southams. Wilson Balfour Baxter gave it to the Ontario Heritage Trust in the late 1970s, and lived there until 2013, when she died. 

As for Cardus, the company says it translates "the richness of the Christian faith tradition into the public square." The company is in a historic building at 185 Young St. right now, and previously had private negotiations with the city about locating at Auchmar Mansion.

Michael Van Pelt, Cardus president and CEO, said the building will be accessible to the public through events like Doors Open. He said after the meeting that the vote showed "vision" and "courage." 

"Council's decision on Balfour House is a big step forward toward preserving and promoting Hamilton's rich heritage," he said in a media release. "Allowing Cardus to cover the costs of restoring and re-opening Balfour House to serve as our head office is a major part of keeping this city's historical and architectural legacy alive."

Another company, Cobalt Connects, visited Balfour in recent years to establish an artists' space there, and said in a recent letter that it was still interested. But the vote Wednesday rules out the city negotiating with anyone but Cardus.