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Harry Stinson is not dead

I am sure he does. We all do. He takes on hard stuff though. I don't have any personal insight so will not defend Harry too strongly. I do know from personal experience that development is much harder and expensive than some could imagine and I think Harry deserves some credit.
 
Credit for taking on projects that were impossible to build but he thought he could force through somehow. Spend years and lots of money on something that would never fly like Sapphire? You shouldn't get credit for wishful thinking.
 
Conrad Black said:
You shouldn't get credit for wishful thinking.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't get credit for taking people's money and providing them with crappy service, delays, and then (potentially) an inferior product on top of it.

I don't trust Harry Stinson for one hot minute.
 
Ok. I defer to you guys. I don't know anything close to the whole story obviously.
SP!RE said:
You shouldn't get credit for taking people's money and providing them with crappy service, delays, and then (potentially) an inferior product on top of it.

I don't trust Harry Stinson for one hot minute.
Click to expand...
 
I've heard reports of people moving into the Stinson School Lofts last week, though final touches (such as landscaping) have yet to be complete.

According to MLS there are still 12 (of the total 66 units) remaining. That's ~ 80% sold which is pretty good.
However, it appears Harry has reserved some units for Rentals which may be skewing that number:

http://www.stinsonschool.com

Either way, a milestone has FINALLY been met and residents have begun the occupation of Stinson School.
 
I met Harry Stinson 15 years ago and he was certainly one of the most oddest person I have ever met.
It was at a sales office for one of his projects where I first met him. If you didn't know who he was he could be mistaken for a homeless person as he was dressed in a brown turtleneck sweater, corduroy pants and clunky Hushpuppies, all too large for his frail frame. Beyond his sad frumpy attire, which in those days he seems to wear everyday, his cockiness and arrogance was what really stood out.
I was asking various questions and making friendly small talk, which he seems to always be very defensive and down-talking for no apparent reason. I thought he was crazy and couldn't stand to spend another minute with him.
Even back then I made comparisons to Mr. Burns on the Simpsons -- a cranky old man overcompensating for his insecurities. Sounds like the same is true today.
 
I thought he was crazy and couldn't stand to spend another minute with him.
Click to expand...

I have has several dealings with him in the past, and have seen him in action many times. He is clearly a Cluster B case (some would call it "eccentric"). It would be in anyone's best interest to just avoid dealing with him.

There's no malicious intent in any of his failed endeavours. He is simply always biting off more than he can chew, and is oblivious to the unacceptable level of failure he attains in the process. And the failure is always somebody else's fault...always. That's why he doesn't learn anything and just goes about putting himself right back in the same position.

I remember back when he was trying to market the Candy Factory. He was short of money, and nobody would lend him any, but that didn't stop him from decorating the model suites himself, using whatever cast-off, Goodwill shit he could get his hands on. It was quite hilarious. He of course saw nothing wrong with it. He was just trying to make a go of it and he has no sense of shame...that's just how he rolls. He's like Rob Ford in a lot of ways.
 
Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks he is a bit of an odd ball. When One King West first opened, i went to visit my friend who was staying at the hotel. This was a Saturday night. As i was leaving around 3 am the elevator stops and Harry gets on. He is carrying a large bucket and a bunch of paint cans. His black pants were covered in dust and his hair was a mess. I say hello to him. He nods without even looking in my direction. The elevator stops at the lobby floor and he cuts right in front of me and races out of the elevator. I was thinking at the time. Why on earth is a guy like him painting at this time of night on a Saturday? :confused:
 
^I lived at 7 King E. at the same time he did (I assume he no longer does, but I don't know). He was such a kook. He had these giant cars (1960s/1970 behemoth classics) that he would try to manoeuvre around the constrained parking lot and he would cause traffic jams in his wake. He very much had the look, smell and mannerisms of a prematurely de-institutionalized person. Everything about him and his projects screams "half-assed, shoddy and cheap", and when you encounter him in person, suddenly it all makes sense.
 
We considered buying into one of his projects years ago. So glad we didn't!
 
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