Then, The Cleary Auditorium was the shining jewel in a newly built civic center. It was built in 1957 by local architects Johnson & McWhinnie.
Now, A white elephant, stripped of its original design. The City of Windsor loses about a million dollars a year subsidizing the Cleary auditorium.
The City is in the process of selling the structure to St. Clair College, who will be establishing a downtown campus in the building. Maybe then the building will be worth the space it occupies on the riverfront.
***** EDIT ********
In the initial post, I made some comment about the WSO (Windsor Symphony Orchestra) that were factually inaccurate. These have since been removed. Jay Katz, General Manager of the WSO posted comments below, that better explains the role of the WSO.
I did not intend to imply that the WSO did not have any value. In this city, where arts are given only a secondary thought, all of our artists need our support, as the city doesn’t place any value on quality of life issues for its residents. My initial anger in posting this entry was that as a tax payer living in the city of Windsor, that my tax dollars are going to subsidze the venue. While Mr. Katz points out that touring shows do use the Chrysler Theatre space, as he noted Jann Arden and Stewart McLean, he must also admit that the Chrysler doesn’t do a good job in bringing in GOOD acts, or in advertising wha they do have playing.
The WSO is a great organization, and a key part of the perforoming arts community in Windsor.
My apologies for my earlier comments.
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Andrew, you say stripped of its original design as if it were a bad thing. It looks 100 times better now than when it was built.
As Executive DIrector of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, I’m in a position where I can shed a little light on the actual circumstances that surround the WSO’s use of the Chrysler Theatre as a performance hall.
Contrary to the belief of the person who wrote this blog (above), the City of Windsor was NOT susidizing the Cleary International Centre so that the WSO would have a place to perform. While I can’t speculate as to the city’s goals reagrding the Cleary, the WSO paid over $150,000 each year in market-rate fees and rentals to use the Chrysler Theatre.
The Chrysler theatre is also rented by a vast array of community groups – from the Chamber of Commerce to Windsor LIght Opera, Theatre Alive – and even to touring shows like Stuart McLean and Jan Arden.
I would like to invite the author of that blog to contact me at the WSO offices. I can fill in the blanks regrading the actual arrangements at teh Hall and also regarding the source of WSO funding and how we sustain ouselves.
I would also hope to invite the author to attend a WSO concert as our guest. I have assumed (possibly wrongly) that the author has never had the pleasure of experiencing our exquisite music. I would hope the blog would have conatined much less disdain if a musical experience could have filled-out its context.
Great pic Andrew. I can see my Grandfathers old bar on the far left side.
Richard, is that Lee’s?
ANDREW YOUR RIGHT IT SURE DOES LOOK LIKE A WHITE ELEPHANT! I MISS THE OLD LOOK OF IT… BUT YOU GOT TO REMEMBER US HISTORIANS LIKE THE OLD STUFF BETTER.
I HAVE THAT ONE HANGING ON MY WALL.
Yup that’s Lee Imperial.
Today’s Windsor architects have no talent. The ugliest architecture can be found here , its like we’re stuck in the disco era.