Regular IM reader and commenter DouglasM was asking about old photos of the Windsor Waterfront when it was still covered in rails. Doug used to live in the Detroit area, back when the waterfront on both sides was occupied with rails, and was the staging grounds and rail yards for rail cars crossing the river by ferry.
I put out a request to Bernie Drouillard to check his collection and see if he had anything he could dig up.
As usual, Bernie’s collection is a treasure trove, and Bernie dug out the following slides. John digitized them for us, and at Doug’s request here are some vintage photos taken by Bernie. Thanks as always goes out to Bernie & John for taking the time to share these photos with us.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken June 9, 1974. Looking east from the end of the CN Freight Shed.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken March 20, 1988. Looking east from Devonshire Rd. I believe that is the backside of the Hiram Walker Flatiron Building on the left. It was demolished in the early 1990’s.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken July 17, 1987. Shot taken west of the roundhouse looking east.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken February 19, 1989. Looking east on the waterfront towards Hiram Walker’s.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Looking west from around Langlois, February 17, 1990.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Looking west from around Moy, February 17, 1990.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Taken February 17, 1990, this shot shows a train crossing Devonshire. The backside of the old Walkerville Town Hall/Post Office is visible from when the building used to sit on Riverside Dr. In the early 1990’s the building was moved from that location, around the corner to its present site on Devonshire.
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It's too bad the city wasn't able to incorporate a trolley line or some other form of light rail into the waterfront. It would have tied the entire area from the foot of the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker grain elevators together and created a bona-fide tourist attraction in a city starved of them.
Lilly & Paul - Look for something on the Peabody on Monday next week...
The Peabody is/was such a mysterious place/memory. It was torn down just as I started to pay attention to things, so my idea of it is the most rickety of structures, ready to collapse at any moment. Buses could not use it, and it had weird blind curves. However I clearly remember that you could look into the 2nd floor of the apartments adjacent -- which seemed like such an urban moment. Windsor used to have many more urban moments before the hallowing out started.
George> A trolley line from the Train Station to downtown, along the water, is not a bad idea. As long as it wasn't simply a tourist thing, and maybe connected to the tunnel somehow (for Americans who use the train to come up to Toronto). Though it isn't like anybody uses transit to connect to the Detroit side of the tunnel, they drive.
"hollowing" out, that is. Not to say Windsor isn't hallow.
I don't think I've ever seen the Peabody Bridge. I heard a lot about it. My parents never took me to that end of town....just stayed in south windsor until I was able to drive. I don't remember the Flat Iron building, the rail yards or some of the other Hiram Walker buildings that were taken down in the mid 90s either. Shucks.
Rich, when you say you stayed in S. Windsor until you learned to drive, it reminded me of how the Peabody Bridge was the place your driving instructor would warn you you were most likely to fail your test. At the time the MTO was on Wyandotte nearby and the examiner usually took you over that bridge, and there was a sign that said 20 or 30kph but no one obeyed it 100% (this is Windsor after all, hehe).
Hiram Walker's destruction of the Flatiron is their greatest crime against Windsor.
It did happen after they were gobbled up by Allied Lyons, the British multinational. So we can blame England perhaps.
Shawn, I'm not sure who to blame. As ususaly the demolitions were done to save taxes on the unused buildings. Destroying the density around the distillery, and preventing any future reuse.
If that Flatiron Building was still standing, I guarantee it would be lots above with ground floor retail today. Sadly it was demolised about 15 years too soon.
So really the blame needs to go back on the City of Windsor and their shitty tax policy. More buildings have been lost under the guise of "tax relief" than any other reason.
What year was the Peabody torn down? I'm pretty sure I drove on it a few times before it met its maker. The flatness of the area around it struck me once it was gone.
I believe the year was about 1995 that the crappy, death trap known as the Peabody bridge was torn down.
Also MIA in those photos the the Hiram Walker sign on the grain elevators. More of Widnsor lost, never to be recovered.
I also second Andrew's tax policy issue in Windsor. What a shame...