Looking beyond Hamilton

In 2017, Rob initiated what became the Nordic Artist Exchange (NAX) with the Estonian Artists’ Association and Hamilton Arts Council. The program gives artists from Hamilton and Estonia the opportunity to live and work in each other's cities, develop new work and build lasting relationships.

Estonian artists have worked from studios at the Cotton Factory, while Hamilton artists have travelled to Tallinn. In that sense, NAX is a natural extension of the Factory itself. Give artists time, space and new people to work with, and see where it leads.

Looking beyond Hamilton

In 2017, Rob initiated what became the Nordic Artist Exchange (NAX) with the Estonian Artists’ Association and Hamilton Arts Council. The program gives artists from Hamilton and Estonia the opportunity to live and work in each other's cities, develop new work and build lasting relationships.

Estonian artists have worked from studios at the Cotton Factory, while Hamilton artists have travelled to Tallinn. In that sense, NAX is a natural extension of the Factory itself. Give artists time, space and new people to work with, and see where it leads.

Keeping an old building alive

The City of Hamilton recognizes the Cotton Factory for its cultural heritage value, and the conservation work at the property has received recognition from the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee. But preserving an old building only matters if people can use it.

The goal was never to freeze the Cotton Factory in 1900. It was to keep the character that makes the place special while giving people new reasons to be here. More than a century ago, people came here to make things.

They still do. The work has changed. The spirit hasn't.

Keeping an old building alive

The City of Hamilton recognizes the Cotton Factory for its cultural heritage value, and the conservation work at the property has received recognition from the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee. But preserving an old building only matters if people can use it.

The goal was never to freeze the Cotton Factory in 1900. It was to keep the character that makes the place special while giving people new reasons to be here. More than a century ago, people came here to make things.

They still do. The work has changed. The spirit hasn't.

Robert Zeidler and the Cotton Factory

The Cotton Factory began as an industrial building. Today, it is a place where people make things. Built in 1900 for the Imperial Cotton Company, 270 Sherman Avenue North spent much of its life as a working textile mill. When Robert Zeidler acquired the property in 2014, much of the complex was vacant, and its future was uncertain.

Rob saw something worth holding onto. The brick, timber, large windows and rough industrial spaces had a character that couldn't be recreated. Rather than make the building look new, he wanted to keep its raw, industrial feel and find a new purpose for it.

That became the idea behind the Cotton Factory. Not simply to provide space, but to bring creative people together and give them somewhere interesting to work. Artists, designers, makers, filmmakers, creative businesses and entrepreneurs now work throughout the complex. Studios and workshops sit alongside offices and production spaces, while exhibitions, open studios and events bring people together.

For Robert, that mix has always been important. Put different creative people in the same place and unexpected things happen. An artist meets a filmmaker. A business finds a designer. A conversation in the hallway turns into something neither person expected.

That became the idea behind the Cotton Factory. Not simply to provide space, but to bring creative people together and give them somewhere interesting to work. Artists, designers, makers, filmmakers, creative businesses and entrepreneurs now work throughout the complex. Studios and workshops sit alongside offices and production spaces, while exhibitions, open studios and events bring people together.

For Robert, that mix has always been important. Put different creative people in the same place and unexpected things happen. An artist meets a filmmaker. A business finds a designer. A conversation in the hallway turns into something neither person expected.

Robert Zeidler and the Cotton Factory

The Cotton Factory began as an industrial building. Today, it is a place where people make things. Built in 1900 for the Imperial Cotton Company, 270 Sherman Avenue North spent much of its life as a working textile mill. When Robert Zeidler acquired the property in 2014, much of the complex was vacant, and its future was uncertain.

Rob saw something worth holding onto. The brick, timber, large windows and rough industrial spaces had a character that couldn't be recreated. Rather than make the building look new, he wanted to keep its raw, industrial feel and find a new purpose for it.

That became the idea behind the Cotton Factory. Not simply to provide space, but to bring creative people together and give them somewhere interesting to work. Artists, designers, makers, filmmakers, creative businesses and entrepreneurs now work throughout the complex. Studios and workshops sit alongside offices and production spaces, while exhibitions, open studios and events bring people together.

For Robert, that mix has always been important. Put different creative people in the same place and unexpected things happen. An artist meets a filmmaker. A business finds a designer. A conversation in the hallway turns into something neither person expected.

That became the idea behind the Cotton Factory. Not simply to provide space, but to bring creative people together and give them somewhere interesting to work. Artists, designers, makers, filmmakers, creative businesses and entrepreneurs now work throughout the complex. Studios and workshops sit alongside offices and production spaces, while exhibitions, open studios and events bring people together.

For Robert, that mix has always been important. Put different creative people in the same place and unexpected things happen. An artist meets a filmmaker. A business finds a designer. A conversation in the hallway turns into something neither person expected.

"We wanted to keep that raw, industrial feel. We didn't want a building freshly painted with stainless steel; the brick, timber, and history were exactly what made it worth holding onto.

When you looked at the numbers back then, some people thought it made more financial sense to demolish the place and sell off the wooden beams. It was a hand-wringing moment, but I knew the building's character couldn't be recreated."

— Robert Zeidler

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