Located on Salter St. south of University Ave is the former home of the Neal Baking Company.
Driving past on University Ave. you can catch a quick glimpse of the red brick factory…
Closer inspection reveals painted ghosts from the past…
The northern most section of the factory, is despite a few alterations…
Nearly the same as it was in 1913. Below are a few historic shots of the ovens and other inside machinery dating to 1913…
Interesting piece of property. Glad they managed to get it tenanted and not wreck it with siding. I wonder what kind of adaptive re-use they found for that building? At first, I figured warehousing, but then I noticed the eight or so gas meters in the second picture. Looks like they found eight or so different tenants, yet no signage to identify them.
What happened to Mother’s Bread anyway? Did they move into a newer building in Windsor? Did they get bought out by Weston’s?
So many little areas in the city that have such interesting history. Isn’t it interestng to see housing of even higher class people living within a block or two of businesses. Today that would never even be thought of.
I believe little areas such as the one above could tranform a neighbourhood. Lofts could be built for the artist community which would have a great impact on the surrounding area. But alas, it is only a dream because I wake up in the reality of Windsor where mindests never change and where we are rudderless as a ship.
During the sixties I was told that this was the Wonder Bread Company. Perhaps they bought the building, somewhere along the way. I also see the Salter Apartments in the top photograph. The building was extensively repaired in the seventies or eighties.
I always knew it was a baking company…..grew up in the area and still live there….. Salter street only has 2 homes left on that street..
Sad lonely street when i think about it… My ex used to work there , factory of some sort? back in 85 he worked there…. and by reading the faded brick printing i saw mothers? thinking Mother’s pizza was made here and shipped downtown? lol i think they got bought out by westons?
Im glad to see the turkey market place at the corner being renovated and in use….I heard people like there business there cause it’s a quiet street and people mind there own business…
great pictures by the way Andrew thank you so much! your awesome!
Well, never say never, ME. There’s a huge empty warehouse at 673 Caron that’s been sitting on the market for years for $380K just a block or two from this place. It had a nice canvas awning out front too. I hope it finds a landlord like this one that could find multiple tenants to rent it, whether they be commercial, lofts or whatever as long as it doesn’t become another parking lot… That one looks almost as old as this one. I wonder what the history of that one is.
Eventually there won’t be enough cars left in Windsor to fill all these temporary parking lots that are springing up faster than shopping carts at bus stops! Always wanted to know about that building, use to walk by it every day to the university.
My ex-stepdads mother used to work there (not sure if she still does) about 5 years ago and it was some kind of machine shop. Not sure what they were exactly doing but I can ask my mom, she would definitely know.
David, I think the buliding on Caron used to be a button factory. Andrew did a PDJ on it once.
But truly, in Windsor I can definetely say never because we are the same way we were in 1962. Nothing here has changed, not the mentality, not ‘ol boys club, not city hall. The only difference today is a growing group of people are demanding better but being ignored. Sorry I have become so cynical about this region but what I see before my eyes is not a lie.
If people agree I urge everyone to please vote. We need new attitudes in our politicians (not the divisive politics of thelast 20 years), we need new air in city hall where thoughts are allowed to grow and expand. If Managers in city hall don’t allow it then they shold be removed. Yearly reviews can do wonders!
If only this city could get some citizens who cared about change to run for city office. We do need a new image and breathe of fresh air to move forward.
Hey, at least councilors voted to remove free meals before meetings each week, a whole $20,000 will be saved from this initiative! That’ll help fix 15 feet of sidewalk along Ouellette Ave!
Notes on machinery, you notice the large belts hanging from the roof to a few of the machines, that was because factories back then, only had a few motors that turned drive shafts in the cieling and power was transfered to the eqipment by large leather belts, the machine in photo 3 the belt is crossed over itself to allow the machine to run in reverse. To save time these belts would be crossed over with the main shaft running.
ron
Thanks for the explanation Ronald.
Randolph hit the nail on the head – if you want to change the city you have to run for city council. Even if you lose, if you have some good ideas and start plucking off some their votes, they will steal you ideas (or at least pay lip service to them) for fear of getting fired from their job.
Plus: last time I checked (years ago), it only cost $100 to put your name on the ballot and if you get 2% of the vote or something like that, you get your money back.
My friend Julie (sleuth) found this site for me. My father’s family owned this bakery (William Neal 1923-1991). It is so great to see the photos. We don’t seem to have any. I recall my dad saying that he worked there as a very young boy. He spoke of horses pulling the bread wagon.
Just wanted to say thanks. Kim Neal
You might be interested in knowing the Neal Baking Company ultimately ended up in London and included the Windsor & Sarnia operations and then was sold to Northern Bakeries Ltd., the Canadian end of the Continental Baking Corp. of the U.S.
Mr. Neal started and was the first president of the Windsor Rotary Club.
It seems it was also Mr. Neal who brought Mr. Ross to town to design Roseland Golf Course as a centerpiece in his Roseland housing plan.
Mr. Neal lived resided at 680 Victoria Avenue as of 1920.
Great info Gail! Thanks!
First, I love this site! A friend introduced me to it a while back.
This property is 371 Salter Street and is owned by John & Mary Vidican. They are the same couple that built, owned and operated Twin Oaks Golf & Country Club which used to be between Lauzon and Banwell (Closed in the early 90’s top become Twin Oaks business park).
Currently the salter property has no tenants, as David said in an earlier comment.. it is the area, hard to find quality tenants that pay their bills and the zoning requirements the city has enforced on the building which make it nearly impossible. I would be surprised if we could even sell the building for $100.
Randolph & SBW – You couldn’t be more correct!!
I thought I posted a coment yesterday. Anyway, my mom was Barbara Neal and her dad was Harry J. I don’t have much info on my grandfather as my grandmother, Nana, returned to the states around 1935. I love finding things like this about my ancestors. I have a copy of the Who’s Who book. When my Nana left Windsor, scandalous at that time, they lived in the Battle Creek Sanitarium, courtesy of her brother Charles Ulrich Bay and my father’s family was also closely tied to the Kellogg family.
Kim Neal and I are cousins, your father would be my great uncle and my mother’s dad was Harry J Neal. My mom grew up in the house on Victoria and I was supposedly almost named Victoria but got my mom Barbara’s middle name instead. I don’t know much about Grandpa Harry as my Nana moved the children to Battle Creek to live in the sanitarium as her brother was a friend of the Kellogg family. My Grandpa Freeman was a BC dentist and also knew the Kellogg’s. I love seeing these pictures and tracking down my history.