What Was Thinking Hat?

Over the last few years I've been asked a handful of times, seemingly out of nowhere, about this one project I was involved with - "what was Thinking Hat?" It's funny how some things spread and then pop up again - having gone on a journey that was largely out of your control. It began in the summer of 2013. I was approached by Spectacle out of Calgary to discuss the idea behind a joint exhibition to debut in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta as part of Alberta Culture Days. 

The premise was a simple, but compelling idea centred around what was and what could be in the downtown core. My portion of the exhibit featured the photo essays that I had captured of some of the historic and abandoned structures in downtown Medicine Hat for my Around the Hat series. This would be contrasted against Spectacle's architectural and design work for how some of these underused spaces could be reimagined for modern developments. 

What made this concept pop was that it was hosted in a then vacant Beveridge Block at the same time as 2nd Street was in the final stages of receiving a massive upgrade. The weekend long exhibition debuted on September 27, 2013 and saw hundreds of curious visitors come through the doors including fellow artists, business owners, city councilors, and the mayor. 

Following the initial exhibition, Thinking Hat was displayed in the public library and eventually ended up in several of the vacant storefronts on 2nd Street. Amazingly, the project was left visible to the general public for nearly half a year. Why after all these years though, you may be wondering, has Thinking Hat still come up in conversation from time to time? 

Not long after our exhibition in the Beveridge Block the building, which had been vacant for more than a decade, was sold and completely renovated into an impressive event space. While we can't take credit for that, the work we did to put on this exhibit was the first time the building had been accessible to the public in years. It was also arguably the best it had looked in a long time too. Naturally, it sparked a lot of conversations.



At the end of 2018 I also released a documentary short called On 2nd, which was about the changes I had witnessed on 2nd Street as part of shooting my Around the Hat photo series. The project featured some of the footage I captured during Thinking Hat, and to date the documentary short has been viewed several hundred thousand times.

I still look back fondly at what we achieved with Thinking Hat, not just because of the feedback, but because it felt like we were stirring the pot on a discussion about downtown that had felt stagnant. Thinking Hat added more to the conversation by highlighting the good, the potential, and the proof that there was more here than people realized. It was a good start. 

 Jessie Andjelic and Philip Vandermey of Spectacle, and Luke Fandrich of Editing Luke (me).

Beveridge Block: Pre-Renovation

Downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta is changing, and it's especially evident along 2nd Street in buildings like the Beveridge Block. Several years ago I began documenting and photographing the exploration of old structures around the city, and amazingly, after a few renovations began much of that work became historical practically overnight. 


The Beveridge Block remained largely unused / nearly abandoned for years, but it's currently being renovated into an event space. I haven't seen the work they've done and I'm not connected to the project in any way. What's interesting about it from my perspective is what I captured of the space prior to there being any interest in the property. 

It was here in the Beveridge Block in 2013, that in collaboration with Spectacle, we hosted our Thinking Hat exhibition to showcase the historic fabric and future potential of Medicine Hat's downtown core. There have been a lot of champions for our downtown, and not surprisingly, with increased buzz a number of properties began renovation in the years that followed.    

In 2012 I first photographed the exterior, and followed up with interior shots in early 2013. You can see how raw the property was at that time. A faded mural covered one side of the building, original floor boards were stacked in the back, and layers of paint had been stripped from the woodwork. It'll be interesting to see the next chapter of the Beveridge. 

On the roof of the Beveridge during Thinking Hat.

Revitalizing Downtown: 2nd Street

In early 2012 I started documenting Medicine Hat, Alberta for what eventually became my Around the Hat photo series. Little did I know at the time, but Medicine Hat was on the cusp of some big changes - especially downtown. 

2nd Street has recently become the focal point of what a revitalized downtown could look like after the street received major upgrades in 2013. Subsequently, this has spurred on new developments and injected some much needed energy into the Hat's core.

My original interest in many of these locations along 2nd Street came from the fact that they were abandoned - which was the initial focus of my series. I ended up witnessing a lot of the transition that followed, and potentially even motivated some of it with collaborations like Thinking Hat. Our exhibition opened in the Beveridge Block before it was sold, and later went on display in the windows of the old Centennial Stationers for Spectrum this year. 

It's been exciting to see 2nd Street get livelier, and the cosmetic updates have made it an attractive place to be. Businesses like Inspire Cafe, Station Coffee, and the Monarch Theatre have always been standouts for me, but recently the redevelopment of the Beveridge Block, the former Centennial Stationers, and the Sweet Caporal wall building have all attracted a lot of curious eyes as well. There's definitely optimism in the air. 

This summer the old siding from the Centennial Stationers was removed and revealed an old Marshall's Book Store sign and later a King Edward Billiard and Bowling Alley painted sign. The interior of the former Pingle's / Sweet Caporal building was also gutted, and in addition to renovations inside the Beveridge Block, I noticed the old horse mural that covered the side of the building was painted over.

In my view, all of these changes have been for the best. Purists sometimes argue that all of the history should be maintained as is, but the truth is that a lot of Medicine Hat's history was already lost years ago to neglect, poor maintenance, or years of previous alterations. These new developments all seem to be preserving a historic aesthetic (whether they're uncovering it or trying to recreate it) but more importantly, they're focused on making the buildings and street relevant again. The change is finally happening at an accelerated rate along 2nd Street, and frankly, it feels like it couldn't have come soon enough. 

Sweet Caporal and Centennial Stationers buildings under renovation.

Marshall's sign revealed. It was removed shortly after.

Last of the old siding removed from Centennial Stationers to reveal brickwork.

Check out my shoot of the abandoned interior of the Beveridge here.

The mural being painted over on the Beveridge Block.

The gutted interior of the Sweet Caporal building. Click for the before.