The tour continues today…
Along Maiden Lane you can find the shop of downtown advocate Betty Wilkinson, her shop “Works on Paper” is a great local gem of a used book store, and the kind of buisness we need downtown for revival. She has stated in the Windsor Star that this spring will make or break her. Try and get down and check it out if you’ve never been there.
Fug. More crappy stucco.
The site of much needless spilled blood and sorrow.
This is what our downtown has become, and percieved or not, this type of violence keep people and businesses away from the core.
While I dig the coolness of the sign, the shop features the sign with the dude for a business that’s gone, and a sign for American Apparel which is also gone. It’s now a gallery of some sort.
The House of Lee, a long time downtown restaurant. The building sports an impressive bar dristrict protection facade. No worries about broken windows here…
Windsor Korea Market. One of the things I truly love about our city is the amount of ethnic places to shop. It was closed on Sunday, but I went back earlier in the week to check it out.
In the same building no less! Up or down, plenty of places to get your tension…. uh… rubbed out.
Hey, imagine that? A vacancy.
It’s disgusting that Maiden lane is as snow covered as it is too…
Wowsers! Our only stucco clad high rise. Nothing like jamming our ugly recladding jobs front and centre.
Former Biblioasis, vacant. 1,100 sq., $10.00 a ft. Isn’t $1100 /mo a little pricey? I guess that it still vacant since the end of summer is the answer to my question…
Former Book Mark, vacant.
Like a bumble bee clad in stucco. The former Radio Tavern. Now a crappy ass kiddie bar.
Look at how wide the sidewalks are here. If the curb was brought back to the edge of the shoveled area, we could have more on street parking. However it seems that our extra wide sidewalks are there to pander to the patios. Look at old postcards, our streets were far busier, we had parking on both sides of the street as well as two pairs of street car tracks down the middle. I say we pull back the sidewalks and reintroduce on-street parking.
Crescent Lanes first opened on Ottawa Street in 1944 at 1055 Ottawa Street, opposite Lanspeary…
Above is a photo of the home of Mr & Mrs Oswald Janisse, located at…
in 1917 two Greek brothers Gus & Harry Lukos purchased a one story building on…
Photo from Google Streetview A long time reader sent me an email the other week…
An unremarkable end to a part of Windsor's history. The large vacant house at 841…
One for the lost Windsor files, is this house that once belonged to Joseph Reaume…
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Dumb question.......
.......when one looks at the viability of a shopping center, one looks at occupancy rate (among other things). What is the occupancy rate of Downtown Windsor?
re the comment about Walkerville being downtown, Wyandotte Street between Gladstone and Argyle was in fact downtown for the citizens of the town of Walkerville (swallowed by Windsor in 1935). The late Al Roach, a teacher at Walkerville C.I. and published author, wrote "If I had a Dollar to Spend on Wyandotte St. in the 1930s".
Read it at http://www.walkervilletimes.com/roach-shop.htm
Thanks to Walkerville BIA administrator Joan Charette, Wyandotte and surrounding streets have been the scene of many successful and innovative events such as the recent Walkerville Holiday Week and the Art Walkabout (held in July) for the last several years. Great for the businesses along the streets and for the residents.
Some great new businesses have opened in Walkerville's Bia recently including the Gourmet Emporium (a fantastic resto bar and gourmet food shop) in the beautiful heritage building (formerly the Bank of Montreal and T Dye For) on the corner of Chilver and Wyandotte, Jones and Co. (a wonderful vintage shop on Wyandotte between chilver and Windermere), Refine Fitness (a gym for professionals in the old Icon For the Home building, formerly Bernhardt's Furniture) to name just a few.
douglasm. It depends on which occupancy you are talking about. If it is business I would have to say approx.35% but Mark Boscariol would know that answer.
Chris, I hope you are having a great time, I am sure the weather has been great! You assessments are correct. Why CAN'T Windsor have tax incentives? They have stated to me it is against the law but I have yet to find that law. Also, if it is against the law then why have other cities done teh same thing with wonderful results?
It is the CAN'T do attitude of city hall that pisses me off the most.
We can have an urban village we just need to vote the right people into power. We have to keep on the attack and not let up. We are either going to change the course or push until it is done. I am not going out without a fight are you?
Eddie Francis talks a big game about the creative class but he sure as hell didn't put his money where his mouth is nor did our council. Take a look at the buget and what was stated. "the free ride is over" as if there ever was a free ride. And I am not even an artist and I know that!
We MUST keep these on issues on the fore front until the next election and then WE take control with WHO WE vote in! I will NOT give up my city for a bunch of self serving hypocrits.
SBW, we know people the issue is that city hall has alienated itself from everyone. It has NOTHING to do wit who you know anymore unless it has to do with the mayor or council and they are so inept that they can't even do their own job right.
Oh I have to totally agree with Chris Edwards and the other reader who contributed a comment. Walkerville has gone miles to create a small town, down-town feel, equipped with all the amenities including attractive shops, a few pubs and restaurants and cleanly swept sidewalks! Via Italia, as mentioned earlier, has focused its efforts in a similar direction. I'd much rather go to a shop or restaurant on Erie St. or in the Wyandotte/Walkerville area. Is there really any hope for downtown when what we're looking for can be found elsewhere?
Andrew....
......that $10 a square foot rate figures out to be about $915 a month, and like Mark points out probably contains some common fees, possibly including heat, light and water. That doesn't seem to me to be outrageous, but I'd like to know how it compares to Devonshire, or better yet, Tecumseh Mall for cost.
This has been an interesting discussion. I spent a little time on a downtown development committee that failed in its attempt when the merchants, landlords and city couldn't come to an agreement on what they were after......
Mark, I am puzzled? Why would a property tax freeze help with vacancies? Less taxes would make it easier to rent a vacancy shouldn’t it? But again it is the mill rate that is unacceptable.
I meant that the property tax freeze is whats killing us, before the freeze buildings were achieving lower assessments.
Even when the freeze is lifted. One of the biggest problems with getting lower assessments was that because few buildings sold for even low prices, there were no comparables. I remember being at someone elses hearing where they were bringing our comparables from sales before 9/11 which were obviously irrelevent.
This is sad that this is what become of downtown. I miss the days of shopping for hours downtown and eating at the BigBoy or Kresge's. Can more pictures be posted of downtown in the 80's?