We start today’s tour along University Avenue East at what I like to refer to as the trifecta of vacancy.
Closed & vacant former Bus Station
Closed & vacant former Top Hat Nightclub
Closed & vacant former Windsor Armouries. The only decent plan for this building I’ve heard since it closed is conversion to use as concert hall. Hopefully the W.S.O. can find avenues of funding for the project.
The vacancy cancer has spread to the adjoining building. This one located west of the Bus Station, has the right and middle units empty and for lease.
Hopping across Ouellette to University Avenue West, things are much better. The Bartlett building houses Milk and the very excellent Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant. Check either or both of them out and support your local businesses.
A look at the awesome new streetscaping. From what I can see the only main difference is the installation of bike posts, and the replacement of the brick planters and lamp posts with concrete ones. Mmmm… Cold, harsh, concrete.
The new main business of Ouellette Ave. Shawarmas. 🙂 This block of Ouellette has hands down some of the worst renovations and “modernizations”. It was like an architectural slaughter took place on this block.
Stucco-crap-ification.
Fugly. Good luck renting out the upper floors. After all everyone hates windows and natural light. Howver it’s nice to see a fully rented retail strip. A Men’s shop and some quality restaurants.
Turek’s Camera Shop, farewell to another longtime downtown retailer. I’m sure that one will stay vacant for a long time. Hopefully the renovation for the next tenant will involve the removal of the fugly corrugated metal siding.
Some moron thought that putting a brick veneer on the facade of the limestone clad building was a good idea. Nothing like making a half-hearted attempt at being architecturally sensitive to the existing structure.
Besides the fact that it’s about 7 feet wide, I can’t image that beautiful facade helps with occupancy.
More craptastic stucco. As you can see by the top, the building was once a nice brick building.
More crappy stucco. Also vacant. Hope the next tenant makes pizza otherwise get out your chisels. This type of cladding looks cheap and aesthetically ugly. How people can willingly apply this material to a structure is beyond me.
The granddaddy of the all, possibly the ugliest building on all of Ouellette: 1986’s Palace Building.
The tour continues tomorrow…
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Which buildings?? I don't know what you've seen, but I normally see broken bricks running along the roof line because of a damaged or missing evestrough/downspout assembly for an extended period of time and the footings have sunk causing the rain to drain on that end, in which case, you install a wide fascia board and evestrough covering the damages brick. Putting stucco over brick to cover a roof drainage problem doesn't solve the problem. The stucco will just crack and peel away. I think the Basil Court building and Turek had a roof drainage problem and that's why they sealed it up instead of running a evestrough along the roofline. Then again, maybe someone did a real piss ass repointing job.
I'm not sure Mike. But with the Park Building as an example: http://internationalmetropolis.com/?p=448 There was nothing wrong with it.
I think 90% of the time, it's a cheap, quick renovation.
I guess that means Mark will be taking advantage of the facade improvement program?
Anybody read Gord Henderson's column in The Windsor Star Today? I think he hit the nail on the head when he lambasted the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde mentality of our civic and community leaders, whose unpredictable behaviour is driving away investment. For every positive step our elected idiots on city council have made toward downtown revitalization, like luring St. Clair College downtown, they take two steps backward by agreeing to build a new arena next to the old GM Trim Plant or giving a green light to a new hotel and commercial development on Windsor's far east side.
Mark is correct that the majority of blame needs to be laid at the feet of council and the mayor. They have done very little to help alleviate the problems of downtown let alone actually doing positive things.
The biggest issue I have is where is Coun. Postma? Where is Coun. Jones? The downtown is in their ward yet they have done little to fix the problems. In all honestly I hope they don't try the "fix" the problem downtown like they are trying to fix the problem in Sandwich. With a mentality and solution such as the ICBL who needs enemies? The same goes for Coun. Valentinis. Where is he at? The only guy I hear talk about downtown on a regular basis is Coun. Halberstadt.
Why is the CIP froze until 2011-2012? We are in dire need here and we are being ignored in a time like this. How sad that our elected officials ignore those who want to make changes for the better.
Why not just make ithe downtown, from Wyandotte to the river and on both sides, one long bar / restauarant.
Wow! A lot of energy in this debate! Before the next municpal election you gentlemen should start organizing a list of constructive things that you would like to see implemented to start the renewal downtown. Pass the list to the politicians and hold them accountable.in 2010. Lots of time to get oranized? There are a lot of dormant good ideas deep in this blog.
Just to clarify, from what I remember the mayor said was just using a previous cost estimate and did not specifically cost it out himself
I also was under the impression the stretch that would be flooded would not be lengthy or deep and would only serve as a water feature for a strip of commercial buildings with residences above them that could access them for pleasure craft.
I'm sure whatever could be flooded could be filled in if the railbed was needed. I'm assuming, light rail for WIndsor would not be in the cards for decades.
In the meantime, I believe the waterway would be one more way to connect the river to downtown, a potential showpiece for the city.
One of my main beliefs as to why our citizens do not demand better development is that there is no example in Windsor staring them in the face to show them how the quality of life is improved on a daily basis.
I believe if we could just get one proper mixed use residential development completed, the public would demand that as a minimum standard throughout the city.
Thats why I think this urban village has a significance far greater than just City Center West or even Downtown. I believe that justifies the 12 million expenditure if it could help make it a success
is all of the original brick and limestone trimming and all the things that made these buildings beatiful removed or destroyed by the stucko? or would be when removed? i don't see the problem with making and restoring buildings to 1920-50's styles. is a brick building that much more expensive? is having tastful trimming and little things you may not even notic in the structure REALLY that expensive now a days? places like downtown and ottawa street would receive a hell of a lot more attention from peopleif it reverted to it's roots, if it felt like home, because that's what these buildings do...or COULD do....used to do would be more accurate i suppose.
I started tobacco while I was 14 years old. It appears to be the most terrible mistake of my life. Right now I'm much older and I've got COPD. Whilst looking to quit smoking, I came upon the e cigarettes and will try it out. With any luck, it is going to help me with this disgusting addiction.