Listed in the 1919 City Directory as the home of the Studebaker Corporation of Canada, this building now home to the Beer Market, has had a long life.
In the early 1920’s (it’s listed as a furniture store in the 1921 directory) it was purchased and became home to the Meretsky & Glitin Furniture Company. In 1927, the furniture store expanded up by two floors, and was renamed the Kennedy Building, in honour of William Costello Kennedy, Member of Parliament and namesake of Kennedy Collegiate. Kennedy served as Minister of Railways and Canals in the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King from 1921 until his death in 1923.
Here is a photo of the building shortly after the construction of the top two floors. I’m not sure what exactly happened to the building, but it’s been badly altered over the years. The photo above appeared in Michael Gladstone White’s “Windsor – A moment in time”, but the photo source is not credited. I would guess the Museum or City Archives are the source for this photo.
Once again, great post Andrew. These are my favorite kinds of posts. Especially since the building is still in good use. I must admin that I am surprised that the curved windows were not part of the original structure. Makes you wonder how many new buildings that are constructed today have the ability to expand upwards without looking silly, or caving in! Something certainly has to be said for the design and construction of the buildings from the 1920’s era.
I remember my first “official” drinking underage (with fake ID) at that building when it was known as Fiddlers. I think it was 1981.
{I still think it is a nice building and the altering of it over the years has been far better than worse.
In fact I find Chatham St. in that area to be one of the nicer streets in all of downtown. Except for that turd of a RBC building on the corner of Ouellette. Gee, a newly designed turd of a bank? Yet we are doing the same thing again. Windsor never learns….
P.S. My biggest peeve is that the architects of these banks make pedestrian dead zones to no ends. The new TD bank building will be diong the same.
All of the nice features of this building have been stripped. Shame. Ah well, at least it’s still around.
One of my friends lives in a loft apartment in this building. Very nice inside and one of my favourite features of the space is the brick on the inside of the apartment on one of the walls.
One of my friends lives here too – I agree – very nice inside. The landlord seems to care about this building.
Pelissier wasn’t a one-way, back then. I’ve been inside the apartments, but only the hallways in the Kennedy building. I helped a friend move out of an apartment in the adjoining building and we used the elevator in the Kennedy building.