Sad to say, that tonight I passed the intersection of Ouellette & Erie, and noticed a pile of rubble where this beauty once stood. The photo above was taken back in 2002, and the building was in much better shape.
The photo above shows the house as it looked last week (on the 27th *edit* the 21st – two weeks ago).
For some reason another one bites the dust, and more of out past is lost as the core continues to hollow out.
I’ll scoot by later this morning and update the post with a current shot.
While the building was certainly looking a little worse for wear there is no need for it to come down.
969-975 Ouellette Ave. Lost for good.
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someone at work mentioned they walked past it today and it had come down. Someone else mentioned that it had a spiral staircase inside and was quite beautiful. Such a shame. What was the reason for tearing it down and what is going in it's place?
That's such a shame! I always admired the black iron spiral staircase inside whenever I walked by. I thought it'd be such a cool place to live, now it's dead.
pc - The reason for tearing it down, is probably the same as always.
1. Because there is no respect in Windsor for the built environment.
2. Because city administration is powerless to enforce or create any guidelines to protect our built environment.
3. Because a vacant lot is cheaper tax wise than a building, vacant or occupied.
Also, what's going in it's place? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess a dirt lot.
I hate to say it, but with every demolition that takes place, Windsor becomes blander and blander, and a less appealing city to live out the rest of my days.
I moved from Wdsr in '70s, but lived at Mary Apts. on Erie St. (in '50s) and later 1190 Hall Ave. (in '60s). Very, very, brick in those days. I'm sure they wouldn't be candidates for stucco-izing... or would they?
Ken, in Windsor anything for stucco-zing is game. In this city dollar reigns king along with the stupidity of it all!
Shawn is correct about Hurst but this mayor as well hasn't done squat to stop it either. I want to know where are the councillors? I mean if we can have an interim control bylaw that encompasses all of Sandwich why can't we have guidelines in other parts of the city that negates demolition?
Wasn't Brister on the Heritage committee or did he wear out his welcome? Maybe he should take the advice he gave another blogger "join a charity".
What a city, no teeth unless it benefits someone in the know.
I always loved this house. It made me imagine the grandeur that must have once lined our main street. I wish that I could have had the opportunity to see inside.
We seem to be tearing these old gems down at a frightening pace (or masking them with "improvements"). Almost as if we want to disconnect ourselves completely from the past and the wealth that this once great city held. I'm sure that I'm not clearly expressing this thought. But it seems that destroying these buildings removes the reminder that we are not what we once were and perhaps we no longer feel worthy of. Collectively, we will feel more comfortable with a four walled, steel post box, with a bright stucco exterior.
This is Windsor. This is progress.
there seem to be some bad feelings about the loss of this grand house and i also have similar feelings .but look at the down side of this all
No shortage of roaches ,rats ,transients .this is not a luxury neighborhood to live in anymore.
Councilor Brister is no longer a member of the WHC. The current council reps. are Councilors Hatfield & Valentinis.
Pardon my cynicism but I grew up in the core and have seen just about every significant structure and institution of my past obliterated. All those places of cherished memory are gone - my grade school, high school, houses I lived in, places I hung out, places I worked, buildings that I admired for their aesthetic or historical value - all gone now, and I'm not that old (at least, i don't think so). I follow this blog closely from afar and admire the efforts of those still resident in me old home town to try to keep the place viable and even improve it, but, for me, its a different place, increasingly unrecognizable. The demolition of the the area immediately to the west of the old Windsor Market to build the Steinbergs department store (early '60s) replaced an aging but dense,vibrant and diverse collection of structures and activities with a sanitized and sterile version of your typical suburban one stop shop downtown (it didn't survive long - anybody remember it?). The demolition of St Mary's Academy back in the '70s really set the tone and convinced me that Windsor really didn't give a shit about any kind of historical continuity. The devastation of the old Carling Brewery and the entire section east of Bruce Ave and north of University brought me to tears. The loss of Windsor Market and the Norwich Block were acts of unforgivable vandalism that turned me into a zombie (temporarily). I was in Windsor back in April and had a few beers at the Dominion House....unseasonably warm weather...sat outside and smelled the river....heard a ship whistle......some things never change.