The Players' Guild Theatre
80 Queen Street South
The Players' Guild is North America's oldest continuous running community theatre group. Founded 139 years ago this company has produced hundreds of shows and sparked thousands of careers. Its current home is a 1850 mansion converted into a busstling home for theatre with a 1960' addition that provided a 100-seat theatre. During the 2014 Stage Directions event held by Fringe Hamilton, the Hamilton Arts Council and Cobalt Connects, the Guild made a connection with Cobalt. In October of 2014 Cobalt relocated its head office to theatre with the aim of helping the organization connect with Hamilton's booming arts community.
This partnership has already brough new events and resources to both organizations. Cobalt will be assisting with marketing and promotions, ticket sales, building refurbishing and revenue generation, while inviting performing arts individuals and organizations to the stunning building. Over time we aim to develop educational programs with the Fringe, a New Play Series is planned for the Spring, and a live music series is being planned with Cobalt Connects.
Studios at Hotel Hamilton
195 James Street North, Hamilton, ON
The Studios at Hotel Hamilton is our premium studio location in downtown Hamilton. Located in the heart of Hamilton’s cultural corridor on James Street North, the facility is home to 19 creative studios and the locally owned and operated Mulberry Street Coffeehouse.
Assisting a team of local investors, this property was purchased and renovated from top to bottom. CoBALT Spaces played an integral role in developing the initial tenant community including the creative studios and ground floor commercial tenant, and continues to manage the building. The facility provides its studio tenants with a common kitchen, shared boardroom, fibre-optic internet service, new oak hardwood floors, custom lighting and a secure entry system.
Since its opening in 2009 the building has maintained a vacancy rate of less than 5% and has become one of the hotspots during the monthly James North Art Crawl.
Sherman Creative Complex
270 Sherman Ave. North, Hamilton, ON
The Sherman Creative Complex is where CoBALT Spaces started in 2003. This incredible turn-of-the-century light industrial complex is awe-inspiring and was the perfect home for our first venture into the world of studio development. Working with the forward-thinking owners of the complex, CoBALT Spaces started from scratch by bringing its creative network and local industry knowledge to the table – while the owners made strategic investments in upgrading their facility to attract new occupants.
Within our first year of operation, we attracted upwards of 20,000 square-feet in new tenants and were featured in the City of Hamilton Economic Development Annual Report. CoBALT CONNECTS also developed a series of small events and full-site festivals to showcase the space to the broader community.
Following our five-year relationship, the Sherman Creative Complex remains committed to its growing body of creative tenants and events, and is a vital part of the creative community in Hamilton.