One of my favourite downtown buildings has always been the grey streamlined building on the south west corner of Wyandotte and Pelissier.
I’ve always wondered however, why there was a fish on the backside of the place…
The mystery is solved, with the discovery that the building was built to house Poole’s Quality Fish Market.
From the June 27, 1940 issue of the Windsor Daily Star:
Above is an exterior view of Windsor’s newest store, Poole’s Quality Fish, at Pelissier and Wyandotte streets, showing the modern lines along which the building has been planned. The Poole store, owned by Max Goldhar, will be on the corner, with another store on Wyandotte street. The upper story will contain offices.
The building was the work of one of Windsor’s major architects of the middle on the 20th century. J.C. Pennington.
That .30 cents a pound for the Salmon is equivalent to $4.36 in 2009 dollars.
The cool thing about older buildings like this is that they have apartments above the shop, and this one is no exception. A girl I know used to live in this building, unfortunately not the unit with the cool curved window, but still very cool!
What’s amazing is that fish has not been smashed off (YET). I drive by often and make sure it’s still there.
Thanks for this – this is a great favourite of mine too. In the 1980’s it was a restaurant and was rather cute inside.
Thanks for the tidbit on the fish. I have always wondered about that! I almost moved into one of the apt whilst in university but ended up finding something a little better.
>In the 1980’s it was a restaurant and was rather cute inside.
It had a great name—“The Snooty Rooster”
…I love the look of the building when the sun is beaming off the opposite modern buildings windows creating this mystic feel to the whole corner. I have yet to be able to capture it by photo.
wow cool !
I used to walk by this place every time I went downtown and remember it as a working fish market. That fish, humble and worn down as it may be, is one of the remaining architectural jewels of downtown Windsor. The possibility of its demise fills me with horror.
I dont remember that building much, I worked at the Volcano Restaurant as a pizza delivery driver next door to it and lived in the big rooming house on Victoria around the corner next to the Volcano parking lot. Remember the Killarney Tavern across the street from the Volcano?
I’ve been past that corner many times, usually coming from the west, as I think there is no left turn when heading north on Ouellette at Wyandotte. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this building. The Snooty Rooster was revived above the Subway on Ouellette (formerly Old School) but it didn’t last long. It closed recently.
I remember the fragrance of that corner if you were afoot.
@Jim Duck: Did it smell of Trout?
More like halibut or haddock as I recall.
That was Pool’s fish market and the fish is still on the side of the building as of 2015.