Another long lost Windsor manufacturer is up today, listed in this 1965 advertisement as “Canada’s fastest growing manufacturer of electrical products”.
Just another sad reminder of how far Windsor’s might has fallen.
The Dresser Electric building is still standing on Walker Road, just north of Big Tony’s. Designed by Johnson – McWhinnie in 1954, the building sits shabby and sad looking on a dreary stretch of Walker.
Another bit of Windsor’s past that doesn’t give hints to its important past as a manufacturing centre.
I never liked that building. I thought it sat out like a sore thumb. But the design was the sign of the times I guess.
“Growing with Windsor”. Since it doesn’t exist any longer I can only assume that it “shrank with Windsor” too.
I think A & G Glass were in the building for a while. A band I was in rented one of the board rooms upstairs for dirt cheap back in the ’90’s. ….That didn’t work out too well….
Wow. Even though we drive past there all the time (and I’m never the driver, always the passenger so I have the time to look at things) I don’t recognize this building at all. It’s weird what we don’t notice. I had to look up the address on google maps to place the building into my mental map of the area. While doing that I noticed that in the google satellite view, the lot on Richmond behind the beer store appears as a plowed field. I wonder how old those images are? I can’t picture what’s actually on that property but I’m pretty sure it’s not crops.
My father worked at Dresser Electric for a number of years . . .must have been in the sixties, I’d think. There were a couple fo generations of the Dresser family involved at that time. I always look when I pass but I’m bad with dates and can’t remember when they closed.
I use to work at Dresser Electric during the 70’s before they finally closed up. I was a transformer winder and welder. Our main product was 3 phase transformers of all sizes. I knew the owner personally. There was two shifts going at one point. Our competition was Westinghouse. The building is now a glass and mirror company. It was my first job making $12/hr it was Chrysler wages at the time.I was around 22 at that time and will never forget that job or the place
Dresser Electric had a sister facility in Detroit, MI. In the 1940’s Carl Dresser, a native of Ontario, founded DE Detroit at 942 E Larned Ave in a converted turn-of-the century barn, near the Crain Communications Building. Dresser’s roots and some key personnel with transformer experience came from Dongan Electric, which is still in business on Franklin St in Detroit. DE Detroit’s primary business was 1 and 3 phase transformers like DE Windsor. They also produced a line of 12 and 36 volt “Hi Lo Matic” boat battery chargers for Chris Craft in Algonac, MI. In 1959, the building was condemned along with others, for the I-375 intersection on Jefferson. They relocated that year to a former steel foundry at 2075 Wight Street. The coil winder for the 1950-60’s there was Joe Roehl. In 1968 it was sold to entrepreneur Bill Martz, retaining the Dresser Electric name. They aligned their product offerings almost entirely to GM and Binks for large plating and painting transformers and DC Power Supplies. In 1970 it was sold to Controlled Power in Farmington, MI, and 6 months later all assets, customers, and intellectual property were consumed. Nothing remained of the Dresser name or products in Detroit. The Wight building was abused for the next few years as a storage facility for worn tires, the foundry was torn down in the mid-70’s, and the Office/winding room upstairs and varnish tank/ovens downstairs survived abandoned and boarded-up for 30 years until finally torn down in the mid-2000’s to become a parking lot across from the Atwater Bar. Carl’s brother Orilly, and later his son Harold, managed the Windsor facility along with Carl. Transformer designs and specs were shared between the facilities, but not product due to customs. As a fleeting ghost of the past, a large 3-phase Dresser transformer from 1965, still working from the Ionia Michigan Fairgrounds surfaced on Ebay a year ago.
Who are you Bob. You likely know Stan who is visiting me this evening. We just got talking old times and Google Dresser Electric
Your recent comments were very interesting to us.
Harold
For the late 1950-60s, a Saturday morning, particularly before month-end, could mean a trip with my father to the Dresser Electric Detroit plant to bake another batch of transformers. Sometimes, a Sunday trip followed for yet another cycle. DE Detroit ran one shift, but the ovens were kept at capacity throughout most weekends. Varnish dunk tank for 8 hours, drip for 8 hours, baking for 6-10 hours depending on size, then cool-down before crating and shipping on Monday. Next, master vellum transformer prints were selected and pulled from the fire safe, blueprints made using ammonia left for the winder on Monday, followed by some other setups, and out before lunchtime. My father is Adolph Muylaert, who was production and later plant manager of DE Detroit. He was recruited by Carl to join his founding of Dresser Electric. He still remembers the day in 1946 when it was announced at Dongan Electric that Carl was resigning as their Chief Engineer, and my father as Draftsman. He had returned from WWII a year earlier with the U.S. Signal Corps having current power rectification experience, so that would also be a valuable asset. He worked for Carl and DE for 25 years. One of Dresser Electric’s early prize orders was from Walter O Briggs, for eight very large transformers that would power the new lighting towers for the first Detroit Tigers night game at Briggs Stadium on June 15, 1948. After 1970, my father found his way to WEMCO as Design Engineer automating large cable spooling for 14 years until his retirement. As the apprentice, I changed from EE to IT in college, and have sustained a challenging IT career. Perhaps the story of Dresser Electric Ltd of Windsor can be encapsulated and shared? 45 years later, I still miss the smell of freshly baked varnish with spent natural gas.
Hi Bob. I remember going with my Dad to Dongans, crossing the river on the Walkerville ferry which docked a short walk from the plant. We had to stop at a bar on the way so that my Dad could call the burglar alarm company. His job was to look after the bake ovens on the weekend. Much as your remembrance with your Dad and Dresser Electric.
PS: What initially prompted your visit to the DresserElectric web page?
Dresser Electric Limited in Windsor and Dresser Electric Company in Detroit had the same roots. Carl Dresser, the founder of both, graduated as an Electrical Engineer from The Detroit Institute of Technology in the late 20’s. As an aside, Harold Dresser (that’s me) graduated from DIT 25 years later as an EEng.
The depression of the 30’s was tough for everyone and Carl newly married and with a new son (me) was working at Dongan Electric as a design engineer. Dongan was operating on short hours and short pay and Carl was pressed to find extra income.
He put together a complete small winding, dip tank, baking and assembly shop in our home’s basement compatible with rewinding contactor holding coils, small transformers of all types including the high voltage transformers used with neon signs.
Ontario hydro-electric system was 25 cycle rather than the 60 cycle power system used in USA. This created a problem, for many Windsor and vicinity companies wishing to use many American products that were frequency-sensitive. Carl was a very ingenious man as well as being a very knowledgeable engineer. He soon gained local reputation of being an expert in converting existing 60 cycle equipment for 25 cycle operation or in lieu of conversion designing and manufacturing a replacement product that would meet The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards that had also provided barriers to American electrical manufacturers..
He connected with a local radio store and an American supplier of modestly-priced radios. Carl rewound the transformers for 25 cycle, the local store incorporated them in the 60 cycle radios and they were sold in Canada, easily beating any other available 25 cycle radios sold in Canada.
Other products were variable voltage transformers for toy electric trains, trickle chargers for car batteries, battery replacement power supplies for pin-ball machines and other battery-powered entertainment equipment imported from the States. As the size and scope of products repaired or manufactured grew the yet unincorporated company moved through a line of ever-increasing size locations, eventually ending up at the final location on Walker Rd in the early 40’s.
The product line at that time was relatively modest. We manufactured a line of control transformers and quite small power and lighting transformers as well as some high voltage transformers used in medical devices and for neon signs.
The company was incorporated along with Dresser in Detroit in the late 30’s.
Dresser Electric, under Carl’s direction, continued to gain recognition as a source for speciality and custom transformers, battery chargers and DC power supplies.
Carl’s ingenuity and abilities in cycle conversion using rewinding, reconnection or both techniques came to the attention of various companies involved when Ontario’s 25 cycle power was converted to 60 cycle during the 50’s.
Dresser’s business grew tremendously in this period. Harold Dresser progressed from winding and sheet metal work to become more involved with management and product design during this period of growth.
The company often ran 24 hrs/day during some peak periods. Dresser rewound almost all of the spot and arc welders in the local automotive and their supplier plants and rewound, reconnected or replaced with their own line of small arc welders, many small or home made domestic arc welders found during the conversion period.
Cycle conversion ended in the late 50’s. Dresser Electric Detroit and Windsor became more involved with custom DC power supplies for battery charging and electroplating. Dresser Electric in Windsor became a major Canadian supplier of custom plating equipment and custom DC power supplies in association with Canadian Hanson & Van Winkle and later with M & T Chemicals. The company also manufactured a line of custom and standard power and lighting transformers rated as high as 4160 volt single and three phase and 1500KVA. The company had a top employment of about 60 workers including sales and management
The company and all assets were sold, interestingly, to Controlled Power of Farmington, Mich. In 1978.
Harold Dresser continued his association with the new corporation operating as Dresser- Controlled Power for about 2 years. After leaving the company for employment in what was then known as The Occupational and Safety Division of the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Dresser name was dropped and the company operated as Controlled Power. They continued operations for several years more closing their Canadian operations in the mid 80’s.
Harold continued with the Miinistry of Labour until his retirement in 1992.
Hello to all who may visit this site in the
Hello Harold I worked at Dresser Electric from 1974 till 1978.I built the cores and heat treated them .I do remember a few of the guys like Louie Lemire and Lawrence in the fabricating area and Twiggy.
I really enjoyed it.How are you. I was just trying to find out which pension plan we were under during that time period. My memory really sucks .I was hoping you could help. I can tell you it was Sun something.
Hi Fred
The insurance company w
Hi Fred
The insurance company waa London Life.
Harold
Hi Harold Thanks for that info.I do remember you working for the ministry of labour in the 80s or 90s because we spoke briefly when you made a visit to Central Stampings Ltd a division of the NARMCO GROUP.I also remember your son working at Dresser Electric in its final year and your wife picking him up when the shift was over at 2 am.And there is know way I can forget Ed the general foreman slash electrician . He was a tough nut when I first started there but at the end we were good friends,considering a few times I would forget to set the alarm when I locked up at 2 am but he would never get mad.Tough guy but I liked working with him. Anyway, it was good to hear from you and I hope all is good for you and your family. Best wishes from myself and my family. Fred