Here’s a little picture I came across a while back, what a beauty this place was. Sad that it didn’t survive.
From The Windsor Star, April 15, 1959:
- ROOM FOR PARKING-Wreckers have started to demolish the old housing terrace at
the southeast corner of Victoria Ave. and Chatham St W. This property has been
owned for several years by Union Gas Co. and it is being cleared to provide more off-
street parking. This move was made possible with the recent move of the gas com-
pany offices into the former utilities offices on Chatham St. W., allowing the gas com-
pany to vacate offices which were located in the old housing terrace.
Here is the site where the houses once stood. There was a bank on the corner, and then these row houses.
Over half a century later, it’s still a parking lot.
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Because parking lots do so much for the surrounding aesthetics….
Have you heard of how parking INCREASES investments in a downtown area? That is why we have had such great investment in ours.
Now that I’m done with the sarcasm I wish people would wake up. I have read the Star where some suggest levelling 2 different buildngs in downtown because the owners can’t sell them. I think it has more to do with NOT wanting to pay taxes on a property they have no intention of doing anything with.
Kudos to council for saying no. If the owners can come up with a proper plan for the property then perhaps they can demo. Until then? Sorry but these so-called investors? We have enough of them in this city but I call them speculators with no plan other than wait for everyone else.
Wonder when it was built. Looks 1890s.
Anyone remember the old acapulco delight?
nice old photo and it looks like windsor again did what it seems to be doing alot of lately making more parking lots
Yeah! Alcapolco delight!!! When it was on Victoria right? I used to play punk rock shows there all the time!
This must have been a nice block of row houses, I never though we had any blocks of townhomes like this in downtown Windsor. I see plenty of the townhomes in Toronto, many of which can be found in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood and other downtown locations. Many of these Victorian / Romanesque build with a brick and stone combination on the exterior. The fronts may be skirted stone in and may also have stone arches.
I thought that the only houses in Windsor with Romanesque style details were the 3 groups of semi- detached homes at 514 – 580 Devonshire in Walkerville. . The date on these homes has them dating from 1890 and listed as being designed by Mason & Rice Architects. I assume these downtown houses would have been built around the same time.
I used to admire the streets that were lined with homes like these when I lived in downtown Toronto.
Does anyone have any old pictures from when Acapulco Delight was there??
I love that old building but it was not as romantic as housing, it was commercial property at the end. As for the parking issue… the lot is still owned and used by the residents and workers at 176 University Ave.W. (seen in background of present day photo) 176 University is still being converted into apartments today.
That looks EXACTLY like the “row housing” which still exists in Toronto. (Popular along Church Street and Jarvis a little north of the Downtown Core) EXACTLY the same … turn of the century – well to do middle class town house!
Got this from a ‘detective’ friend.. concerning these terraces. “The above cut is a facsimile of four modern dwellings for Dr. Cruickshank, located on the corner of Chatham Street and Victoria Avenue printed in The Evening Record on April 20, 1901.”
The Evening Record, April 20, 1901 – Dr. Cruickshank’s New Terrace – The above cut is a facsimile of four modern dwellings for Dr. Cruickshank, located on the corner of Chatham St. and Victoria Ave. They are built of veneered brick. There is a large basement containing store rooms and laundry and furnace room. On the first floor is a reception hall, parlor with handsome mantel, dining room with a fine china closet, kitchen is large, with a convenient pantry. All the rooms are well lighted. The main rooms are finished in oak. On the second story there are four bedrooms, bath with modern plumbing, and a large linen closet. Williams Bros. are the architects of the building, and they expect to complete it by June.