So the track across Riverside Drive to Hiram Walker’s has bit the dust. The demolition of the waterfront silos are more than likely, and if they go, suddenly the long neglected Walker Power Building becomes a building with a waterfront view…
How many times have you looked at a building and imagined what you could do with it, if money was no object…
One of our regular readers Shane imagined exactly that scenario for the Walker Power Building.
Now keep in mind, there is no proposal on the table, and this isn’t any kind of official proposal… but if we had more people with Shane’s way of thinking, maybe our city wouldn’t have seen so many needless demolitions over the last half century.
Shane’s imagined plan calls for ground floor retail, with 2nd and 3rd floor residential lofts and offices, while the 4th floor becomes boutique hotel space.
A new road would be created on the South side of the building from Devonshire to Chilver. This would create street frontage to the retail on the South façade of the building.
Thanks for sharing these pictures Shane, we need more people with vision like this in our city. Hopefully the Walker Power Building sees new life if the silo’s bite the dust.
Shane also incorporated a street car stop into his plan, in case such a system should ever be implemented in the city again. 😉
Have a good weekend everyone! See you back here Monday.
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dave - those silos aren't being used any longer and they've been making moves to knock them down for a while. sadly it is only a matter of time before walker's is out of windsor all together - give it 10 - 20 years and they'll be out of there.
Nicely done. You should post a picture of what the building actually looks like.
Wow! The concept is gorgeous: talk about "location-location-location" and modern beauty and transportation. Imagine a light rail line along the river (horrors! some say) to Ouellette, etc.
Check out this film about Windsor during the first "Freedom Festival" -- 1951.
http://www.nfb.ca/film/eye_witness_33
And this goes along with Shane's brilliant concept (from the St. Thomas, Ont., Times Journal):
Ian's City Scope Blog [comment-reply@wordpress.com]
The festival in the film is about the Emancipation Day, started by Dr. Roy Perry to celebrate the Emanacipation Act of 1837, passed by the British Parliment. (1937 is the date that comes to mind it could be a date on either side) The celebration was held Civic Holiday weekend on the river front this year. This and the Firemans Feild Day where originaly held at Jackson Park. Some time in the sixties the city moved them to Mic Mac Park, The Firemans Feild Day ended soon after, the Emancipation celebration later moved to Amherstburg.The Supremes won the talent contest in Windsor and went up from that.
The first International Festival was in 1959, and coinsided with the visit of Queen Elisabeth and Prince Philip, the Brittania was moored at the foot of Ouellet Av.
The move to Mic Mac park followed the 1967 Detroit riots. They were denied permits to continue at Jackson park. Racism killed that amazing festival, which is slowly being revived.
Great work Shane, all we need now is someone with similar vision and deep pockets. I really like the Mies van der Rohe-ish Modernist look to your design! That would be a fantastic addition to that area of Windsor that could encourage further development.
Great Idea Shane it would be a wonderful way to reuse the old heritage building if eddie francis had any brains he would stay home instead of flying all over europe trying to lock down foreign investors maybe he should start talking to local developers about doing something like thishe's got something up his sleave that he's not talking much about some big surprise for windsor great photos Shane well done!!
I say move the train station to where Woolco was this is now the centre of the city anyways. The tracks from the existing station (turd) could be torn out and a new much needed east-west roadway could be put where the tracks are now. As for this being converted to retail space, like a fellow lister said there is a lot of vacant retail already ,just drive down Ottawa. Who would you target as customers ? the occupants ? Thats not enough to be viable. great idea .... wrong location.... My 2 cents.... Still a nice concept though ???
Even it was fesable to move the station the tracks would still be needed by CN their two freight trains each day come to Windsor and go behind Jefferson to get to their yard.
Via would need the Y a Jefferson. and track west of that for turning. So all you would gain is tracks up from Walker Rd. to Pillette Rd. And that would probably in fifty or sixty years, given how fast the temporary station lasted.
It is a great idea to have the station in the east end and move the mini bus station with it,that way people could get to other parts of the city with paying cab fare.