The largest investment underway in Hamilton currently is the ~$150 million redevelopment of the former Champion Paper complex into Spooky Nook Sports, a massive indoor sports complex. The complex is the second project for Spooky Nook Sports, which has another massive facility outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

 

When complete, the west side of the property will have wood basketball courts, flex space for soccer, baseball, or conventions, batting cages, climbing center, a wellness facility, and medical offices. This will largely be constructed inside new buildings built behind a historic facade preserved along B Street.

 

On the east side of the property, which straddles the Great Miami River, the historic mill buildings will be rehabilitated using historic tax credits into a hotel, convention area, and retail, and restaurant space.

 

Many of the windows in the complex were bricked in decades ago. Once these are reopened, historically-sensitive windows are installed, and the historic brick is cleaned and restored, the buildings should really pop.

 

Financial closing of the complex project was completed in March, just a few days before the COVID-19 pandemic really started to unfold in Ohio. Fortunately, the bond buyers did not back out and the project started moving forward in full force. In addition to major activity by the project contractors, the city is undertaking ~ $15 million in infrastructure work to upgrade utilities, bury power lines, relocate part of an adjacent street, and install decorative lighting and streetscaping similar to Main Street.

 

Here are a few photos from March and April, as construction was beginning to ramp up:

 

 

For comparison, here are a couple photos from 2013, a year after the facility closed as a paper mill:

Thanks for the photos.  What is the name of the river next to it?  It seems like you could walk across the river, but maybe it's deceptively deep.

^That is the Great Miami River. The riverbed is not all that deep during normal water levels, but you can never walk across it.

Again for comparison, here is a historic aerial of the site:

 

 

Recent photos from the project social media page:

 

 

Recent images from the project social media page:

 

 

At first, I thought that top image was an Amazon warehouse.

^Very similar, yes, with much larger spans so that there are not columns through the courts.

Sad that we are losing our industrial base in our cities, but also happy that this is a site that is being reused with many of the paper mill's components remaining intact. It was a fun place to explore.

More project photos from the Hamilton Journal-News:

 

https://www.journal-news.com/news/photos-take-a-tour-of-spooky-nook-sports-champion-mill/KZU5PQNDPREGXJLQIM2BAXZAVM/

So much money to spend on something called "Spooky Nook". Sounds more like something with a 1/2 in the address.

^The name comes from the road on which the original Spooky Nook in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is located.

More project photos from the Hamilton Journal-News as construction wraps up:

 

https://www.journal-news.com/ohio/photos-spooky-nook-sports-champion-mill-more-phases-complete/OBWHGQOLDVFXFGUEF2WD4SGWTM/

 

 

As a former resident of Hamilton, I'm so happy to see this site being utilized in a way that ties to it's past. Looks like a very cool facility. 

From the pictures, that inside multi-use course looks MASSIVE massive. I know it’s the largest sports complex in the nation now but I’m really curious what kind of events they are going to do there over the next couple years just because with that of floor space it seems like they could do really incredible things


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