From the Detroit Free Press – Saturday, April 30, 1977 p. 18-C
- BY DEE SIEGELBAUM
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
In a spectacular example of now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t, St. Mary’s Academy, a Windsor landmark for 50 years, was reduced to a smoking pile of rubble Friday.
The red brick and concrete structure fell to the ground in seconds under the impact of 1,000 pounds of dynamite exploding like a barrage of cannon fire.
HUNDREDS OF St. Mary’s neighbors, many of whom had fought to save the rambling neo-Gothic structure which served as a girls school until 1971, watched as it was blown to bits by demolition experts to make room for a 134-home subdivision.
Teenagers perched on rooftops and fences surrounding the 30-acre site cheered as the 364,000-square-foot church and school building crashed down about 5:45 p.m., almost four hours behind schedule. Police kept the crowds a safe distance from the explosion.
“It’s about the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in Windsor,” said Steve Samson, 16, who confessed that he skipped school for the occasion.
Frank Fihn, 25, said his mother and two sisters attended St. Mary’s. “My sister said if she came she’d cry, so she’s not coming,” he explained.
Even relative newcomers to the neighborhood were sorry to say farewell to the stately “building with its ornate bell tower, classic architecture and peaceful grounds.
“I hate to see it go because it’s such a “unique piece of architecture,” said Frances MacGregor, who has lived in a house near St. Mary’s gates for a year.
Efforts to find a use for the building and restore it had failed. Two years ago R. C. Pruefer Co. Ltd. decided to demolish it and develop the property, which is located in the middle of a residential section.
THE SERENITY OF the edifice was shattered forever by a team of nationally renowned precision blasting experts from Controlled Demolition Inc. (GDI), a family firm whose activities have been depicted in a beer commercial.
The Baltimore-based company specializes in bringing down buildings quickly and safely, with a minimum of noise and ground tremor.
Dynamite demolition’s big advantage over conventional wrecking is speed, which also may make it somewhat cheaper, according to the developers of the St. Mary’s site.
After a four-hour delay caused by problems with the intricate system of electrical wiring which set off thousands of blasting caps inside the buildng, the demolition went smoothly.
Just about the only negative fallout was on spectators, policemen, homes and cars downwind of the dust cloud generated by the blast. GDI President John Loizeaux, who headed the St. Mary’s project, depends on gravity to do much of the demolition as possible.
Sticks of dynamite were planted in holes drilled in the building’s support beams, and a series of blasts timed at one-second intervals collapsed the building in on itself, instead of propelling the debris outward.
The seven GDI employes who worked on the St. Mary’s job clearly enjoyed their jobs. “You see immediate results; that’s the fun part,” said Tom Golley, 21. “There’s a big release after it’s finished.”
Even the demolition team, though, regretted the demise of a fine old building. “But if it has to come down,” reasoned GDI employe Alec McCosh, “it might as well come down with a flourish.”
FREE PRESS PHOTOS BY RICHARD LEE
what is on that site now?
Bob – houses.
This is crazy. I have a Google alert set up and I come here to an article of my dad from over 30 years ago. I forwarded this to his email too!
Here is the neighborhood that sits where the school once stood:
http://maps.google.ca/?ll=42.261577,-83.017765&spn=0.003196,0.004823&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6
Here is a typical street view:
http://maps.google.ca/?ll=42.260781,-83.016636&spn=0.000002,0.001206&t=h&vpsrc=0&z=20&layer=c&cbll=42.260781,-83.016636&panoid=6aiXEFJPReEsfDoDm2h9Dw&cbp=12,193.61,,0,1.9
One of Windsor’s bieggest losses. The 1970s were not kind to this city and yet we continue the stupidity to this day.
One look at this city and one would think it was founded in the 1960s instead of the 1850’s.
One of Windsor’s biggest losses. The 1970s were not kind to this city and yet we continue the stupidity to this day.
One look at this city and one would think it was founded in the 1960s instead of the 1850’s.
It is now residential , St. Mary’s Gate, If you wanted to find anything remaining of it you still may, some of stained glass windows now adorn local homes. I know at least one person who had it retrofitted into a home in La Salle
Hopefully Steve Samson moved somewhere else – somewhere that was exciting enough for him.
Don’t forget these:
http://internationalmetropolis.com/?p=2090
One of Windsor’s bieggest losses. The 1970s were not kind to this city and yet we continue the stupidity to this day.
One look at this city and one would think it was founded in the 1960s instead of the 1850?s.
One of Windsor’s biggest losses. The 1970s were not kind to this city and yet we continue the stupidity to this day.
One look at this city and one would think it was founded in the 1960s instead of the 1850?s.
when ever digging for a pool or a fence you can be sure to find plenty of brick buried .i have found enough .
I remember the blast well even though I was only 10 at the time. The waiting was unbearable at that age! I spent it eating the whites of the long grass with my friend Winnie and saw the blast from the roof of a police car! My parents now live in a house just inside the gates. The man interviewed was the father of my sister’s best friend. Small world!
It was a sad day,lots of happy memories. What is the matter with the City of Windsor,all they seem to “keep” are strip bars and hotels. Not a very nice thing to be noted for. Do we not have any CLASS!!!!!!
My parents have an 8 mm video of the demolition that my uncle took. I haven’t seen it in years but it was amazing to watch (I was too young to remember the actual demotion).
If you read the lead story the owner could not find a tenant or use for the building. They demolisd a very nice building and landmark in the area, and did replace it with housing, not vacant land or parking lot.
What a beautiful building, replaced by unimpressive little houses.
The houses are fine.. but not worthy of replacing such a structure. In fact nothing was worthy of replacing this structure. I’m just imagining what the University or College could have done with this building today.
Jim, that’s what I mean. The houses aren’t bad, but unimpressive. That building was very impressive.
Crazy to think that this could have very well been part of the original St. Clair College Campus when it was built. Instead of the Brutalist structure we have today, they probably would have built a Campus around this building. A damn shame.
I doubt that the province would consider this building for St. Clair College, the cost to convert a 1920’s building for the college would have been enormous if possible. Because it was a residence school so many small rooms.
Though repurposing a building is usually cheaper than building a new one, regardless of what city council will say. Also most of the classrooms at St. Clair are fairly small unlike the University. Would have been interesting regardless.
The question about the Province renovating St. Mary’s school to be home for St .Clair college would hinge on when the college moved from downtown Windsor to new site. If this was before 1977, then St. Mary’s was not available.
The city could only stop the demolition of the building if they owned it.