I was going through some old photos, (these were taken in July 2002) when I stumbled across these shots of a small cluster of houses in the City Centre West lands that were long ago demolished. True to the Windsor way, the lands today remain vacant… These houses were located in the yellow box on the Google Earth view above. I’m pretty sure they were located on the Chatham St. side.
A view of the back yard. Remember these photos were taken in the early days of digital photography, my poor camera didn’t even have a zoom… Hence the occasional crappy angle.
It’s hard to see in this shot, but there is a bit of century old trim poking out at the peak of this one… This house would have been on the corner of Chatham and Caron.
The middle house.
The end house located against the alley.
Redevelopment my ass. Seven years later it’s still a vacant lot. A victim of the temporary Casino land speculators.
Built in 1929, the house at 2177 Victoria Avenue was originally numbered 1545 Victoria, pre…
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…
View Comments
Let me guess. Shawn doesn't actually live in this area of downtown. Try living in this area for a couple months and I think your idea of myths and urban legends will change completely...
David, you are correct that there was issues at one of the houses because of unruly biker slobs but it was only ONE house (the one of the right). The other two had older ladies living in them.
The area today has little crime (other than the odd auto break-in. But that happens more in south Windsor and the 'burbs than in this neighbourhood according to Windsor police) and is in every sense a neighbourhood. People sit out on their porches, talk to one another, help out with projects...The one small problem is the apartment on the corner of Bruce and Pitt. New owners don't seem to care who rents and there seems to be a few druggies living there but their issues are confined to their apartment.
The potential to expand on this neighbourhood with row houses and small buildings with retail on the main floor is astounding. No pie-in-the-sky dreams of using excessive amounts of taxpayers money, just good planning and the ideas of using the gems that are there to build a larger neighbourhood is all that is needed to make a neighbourhood that downtown desperately needs.
Andrew, just a heads up..........listening to the WFD radio we have here at work, and it looks like something around Bubby's resturant just went up in flames. It's not Bubby's or the Multi cultural center, but maybe that little house on University immediatly west of Bubby's. OR the Herald Press. Something is now gone......more lost density in this little pocket of who-knows-why-it's-not-a-parking lot-yet.