Grave in the lobby wall.

Gravestone in the Lobby Wall of an Old Folks Skyscraper

"First Place" is a skyscraper condo for seniors. It reportedly was built on an old church graveyard and, aside from the wrathful spirits of the dead, it has one of the cemetery's large, gray tombstones mortared halfway up the cheery red brick wall just inside the front door. It's not clear if Richard Springer, who died in 1829, is actually entombed in the wall, or if just his headstone was saved, and if so, why it was saved in such an odd place. Most folks walk past without even noticing it. Poor Richard can't be getting any rest.

Gravestone in the Lobby Wall of an Old Folks Skyscraper

Address:: 350 King St. E., Hamilton, ON, Canada
Directions:: Downtown. From Hwy 6/403 take the ON-8/Main St. exit. Drive west on Main St. for three kilometers. Cross Wellington St., then turn left onto Victoria Ave. Drive one block and turn left onto King St. Drive one block. You'll see a tall condo tower on the left; its front entrance has a big awning labeled "First Place." The tombstone is just inside the front door, on the brick wall to the left.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Tim Horton's Store #1, Hamilton, ON, Canada - 2 mi.

Defunct Cross of Lorraine, Hamilton, ON, Canada - 3 mi.

Giant Drippy Doughnut, Burlington, ON, Canada - 5 mi.

In the region:

Twist O' The Mist, Niagara Falls, NY - 42 mi.

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