A while back Urbanrat sent me some photos of the slums at 501 Erie St. W.
He wrote:
A very concerned resident of the area bounded by Erie Street west, between Bruce Ave and Janette Ave, is very upset about this derelict property at 501 – 529 Erie Street West, a row of townhouses.
This citizen and other residents are very concerned about the state of the building, especially the back wall of some units. They have called the city, their councillors Jones and Postma to have some action taken towards the property, many a time!
The owner has it listed for a rental property but refuses to repair or demolish the building (thus losing revenue tax credit).
There has been reports of squatters, kids et al entering the building at night under the tarps, with neighbours seeing candles or flashlights on in the rooms.
He sent along the following photos:
When I got to this photo he took, of the City Issued order, I stopped, because the order was AN ORDER TO DEMOLISH THE BUILDING AND CLEAR THE SITE ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 1, 2008.
Seeing as it’s now October 3, I thought, I better make sure the place isn’t gone before I post these photos… So yesterday afternoon, I cruised on over to 501 Erie St. W.
Guess what?
The mess is still there… Unbelievable. For the amount of money we spend in taxes living in this city, someone should be embarrassed that this mess is still standing 63 days AFTER the deadline to demolish it. However, I guess if it’s not something sexy like a canal or a big new shiny arena, then it’s not high on the list of priorities for the City to deal with?
Where are Councillors Jones and Postma? Obviously, this isn’t in Sandwich, so Ron Jones will have no interest in looking after it… But where’s Postma? This is kind of her neighbourhood? Too busy with her own burned out rental properties? Nothing like looking after the people who elected you. What a mess Ward 2 is. 2010 isn’t coming quick enough.
Here are a few photos from yesterday afternoon.
I was blown, away to drive over there and to find this place still standing. Is it standard practice for a building to be standing a full two months after the deadline to demolish has passed? This place is a danger to the surrounding community.
Broken, boarded up windows…
Bricks falling off the back of the building… Yeah. I’m sure the neighbours feel much safer with that tarp in place.
The screen door is missing off one of the entrances, the window is missing from the one next to it…
Overgrowing plants, and yellowing, mouldering mail from who knows when in the mail boxes.
There’s that same order.
Based on the extent and nature of the defects the owner shall demolish this structure in its entirety and leave the site in a clear and level manner.
…
YOU ARE HEREBY REQUIRED, by this Order, to do the work required to repair the defects set forth in this Order and make the said property conform to the standards set forth in the said By-law ON OR BEFORE: AUGUST 1st, 2008
Click here to download legible copy of the order.
Looking at the owner’s name it is listed as:
Philip Katz
c/o Walter Muroff
333 Riverside Dr. W.
Suite 218
Windsor, ON
N9A 7C5
A quick google turns up nothing on Katz, but Walter Muroff is a mortgage broker… http://www.waltermuroff.yp.ca/index.htm. But, oh look at this… http://www.fstontario.ca/english/decisions/mortgagebroker/M0280-2006-1.pdf… It just happens to be a a copy of the hearing of the Financial Services Tribunal against Walter Muroff & Co., Ltd.
Muroff was nailed for not filing his financial statements in a timely manner, for 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004, and had his registration suspended for nine months.
Talk about bad judgement! Either Larry Horwitz:
or
or
Maybe Larry should call his “team” to go remove those signs. Probably not the best building to associate with.
So the ball is in your court City of Windsor… Why is this dangerous eyesore still standing? Ward 2 residents, call or email your councillor to ask why this building is still standing in direct violation of a City issued order.
Maybe A-Channel, CBC or the Windsor Star could pick up this story and run with it. If any readers have any contacts in the media, feel free to tip them off.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Urbanrat. Hopefully, the readers of this blog can help get some action taken on this issue.
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…
View Comments
one more thing i thought might fit here:
did anyone see on the news anything about Ottawa concidering LICENSING their landlords?!?!?!?
what a fantastic idea!!!! i mean....just cause you have a drivers license doesn't force you follow the rules of the road, but if you get caught..........
sounds like a niffty deterent to these kinds of situations or like i just went thru at my old place. what happened you ask? well my bedroom ceiling caved in because of a leaky roof i had let her know about since march! then tells me it's not important?!?!?
yeah, i'm for landlord licensing.
I live directly across the street on Bruce. My husband and I often see candle-light and flash lights being used especially in the corner unit closest to Bruce on the second floor. I know the person who lives in the vinyl sided house behind the building. She has on many occassions ans I have once seen people crawling out from under the tarp on the back in the middle of the night. I have called the building inspector several times as well as the councillors. The last 2 times the inspectors came out they said there was evidence that there had been people in there. Thank you very much, by the way, for printing this. I heard you were going to do it and was delighted to hear it.
There could easily be some Trespassing fines handed out for those that "hangout" in this abandoned building. There could also be additional charges laid for possesion of drugs (there has to be), etc. It seems the place is a fire hazard for the visitors in it, with the candles being used, and for those who live next door. IMO, don't call the city departments when you see someone who isn't supposed to be inside, call the police (519) 258-6111.
Well those would be the "squatters" I was also a bit worried about, L.S. They can be fiercely protective of the vacant building they been calling home. Can't believe you guys have had to put up with this as long as you have. I thought this stuff only happened on Indian road. LOL. And Aaron, nah... no plans on exploring it. Urbanrat got about as close as I'd elect to. Everyone has a different comfort level about abandonments like this. Make ya a deal though, I'll bring the coffee and spot ya! heh.
Not sure if anyone said this yet, but it is amazing to me how an empty and disgusting structur can sit 2 months pasts the order to demo...but our heritage buidlings seem to hit the gorund before the paper work even gets close to a permit to demo......wow...odd how the system works isn't it?
HA! ....welllllll.....no, no i can't. you know the lure of coffee runs deep in my veins, but i can't. lol
sammy, you should get a new keyboard. i think yours is missing some keys LOL!!!
you're right though...except the permits for demoing heritage properties. we don't need permits for that kind of stuff. and orders to demo structures seem to keep them up.
hmmmmmm.....maybe we're actually in the bizzaro version of windsor.
quick everyone! lets run downtown and slap these orders all over whatever we have left to save before it's too late!!!!!!!
and just so noone thinks i'm being mean to sammy....well i was, but he's my brother lol
L.S now you know who not to vote for in the next election. If the city doesn't tear down abandoned houses that are burnt out shells what makes us all think they will tear that structure down?
Just wait until the kids that go in there start a fire and one gets trapped and burns to death. how much do you want to bet the city gets sued big time?
Hey, I am all for licensing landlords as well but Widnsor just doesn't have the fortitude to do it.
i thought asbestos took years of exposure to do any damage. like smoking
commiejay - i'd imagine the more/longer your exposed the worse you are, but even being exposed once technically is enough. i guess a couple studies have shown that even the families of rescuers from the WTC have been exposed and now have health issues related to asbestos, just from their husband/wife coming home each night from the scene. granted, they were covered in the stuff. but i'm sure they were all required to toss their coveralls and take showers before leaving the site, and still.......
i know that's a huge gap in exposer, going in to take some pics of a run down apartment vs. crawling around the rubble of the WTC for days. but like i said up there, even a little bit can get into your lungs. the fibers attatch themselves to the lung lining, eventually causing abnomalities, and cause all kinds of damage over a very long period of time.