~Lister-Block - 1886-1923~

    This Lister-Block was the first building upon the corner of James and King William Street. Built in 1886, and destroyed by a fire in 1923, the Lister building was owned by Joseph Lister, a nineteenth century clothier and merchandiser, born in Lancashire, England. Joseph Lister and his family came to Canada in 1834, settling in Hamilton. During his life, he was an active member of public affairs, being a member of the Board of Water Commissioners , and having served 20 years as a school trustee. Lister decided to have a stone block building erected on the corner of King William and James St. in 1886. Lister Chambers, as the building was known, was a stone row house standing 4-storeys tall.

   On February 23, 1923, the cherished Lister building of downtown Hamilton was struck by one of the most destructive and spectacular fires ever seen by the city. Despite the exterior being made of quarried limestone, the building went up in a flash because the interior walls and floor were wooden. W.J. Whitelock, building inspector, ordered that the burned shell be demolished. The walls on the King William Street side sagged and pieces of masonry, weighing hundreds of pounds, kept falling into the street, posing a danger to passerbys. After the ruins of the burned building were removed, the site was cleaned by contractors Pigott –Healy Construction, at a cost of $300,000.