Happy Valentines Day! We’re sticking with the prohibition era breweries today. Heading east from LaSalle all the way to the former town of Riverside, and the former Riverside Brewery.
Founded in 1926, the building was designed by Albert McPhail, who designed many other buildings in Windsor. It’s amazing that after 85 years, the sign is still clearly visible.
Over the front door, there is remains of a painted sign for a Bird Seed Company that once occupied the site.
The front doorway has alternating limetsone and brick. I love the big “R” over the front door.
An impressive structure towering over the local area. It’s too bad that the best use for the building today is the sand/gravel docks to the rear. It seems to me that this building would have been perfect for a condo conversion.
Looks like “Riverside Bird Seed” ? Does anyone remember the seed factory?
Here you can see the poor old gal surrounded by piles of sand and gravel. It’s a sad same, given this building’s part in our local history, and in the story of prohibition.
An ad that ran in the paper in 1934 looking for investors.
I am assuming that the investors didn’t come, as the brewery closed in 1935, after only 9 years in operation.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
From the Border Cities Star - December 6, 1924, almost a century ago to the…
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…
View Comments
If you read the sign on the front of the building (difficult as that may be) it doesn't say "bird"--it reads "brid", which suggests that the Essex Hybrid Seed Company occupied the building at one time, even though the building next door was also designated thus.
I have been researching my mother's ancestry and I find that the Riverside Brewery was mention in some of her ancestors and I was wondering where I can do more research on this business to prove the information I have gathered is true.
Pretty sure this is the same building, judging by the sand piles, that we used to play in as teenagers. We'd get in through a back window.
Inside there must have been some kind of elevator that was torn out, because there was a hole in each of the floors in the same space.
On the first floor, at the bottom of the hole, there was a pile of mattresses and foam. I used to jump from the second floor. I had friends who went from higher floors.