From the Windsor Daily Star – August 30, 1956:
- DISPLACED BY 401 – Six houses are being moved to make way for an overpass for Highway 401. This is being moved along North Talbot Rd., between Howard Ave. and Walker Rd., to its new location, a trip of about a mile.
So last time a highway was built through Windsor, they moved six houses to a new location, rather than demolish them when the 401 came to town. How many houses were moved when the parkway came to town? When did it stop becoming feasible to move buildings? Seems like building got moved fairly often in the past…
I suppose someone has to want the house and have a place to put it I agree that I have seen many houses moved over the years but, like everything else, it’s probably become prohibitively expensive and anyone with the wherewithal probably just buys something new or up for resale. There don’t seem to be as many building lots available outside subdivisions in convenient areas and distance could only ramp up the cost of moving. Here, along Lake Erie, they still sell individual properties but most people build new Mcmansions on the large, high priced lots.
I wonder if these 6 houses are still standing today!
I think its our throw-away society. A house was also a home back then. Now, a house is just a place to rest for a couple of years before a person buys another one and moves further into suburbia.
I thought that they did move a couple houses for the Parkway construction, but when I tried to find some information about it with a quick Google I didn’t see anything obvious turn up. I may have just been bad at searching.
As a side note, noticed this article at windsorite:
http://windsorite.ca/2012/11/city-of-windsor-prepares-to-demolish-derelict-downtown-houses/
I think this has been discussed here in the past already.
To answer the question above.During the demolishing of the properties in the parkway corridor ,I have seen 3 homes between cabana down highway 3 to Howard ,being moved off it foundation and taken somewhere else.Its rare to see that ,but obviously these people must have had fond memories of these homes if they must have negotiated in moving them instead of it being torn down.Very rare to see this.I have taken photos during this period ,so if I come across one ,then III post it.
Another consideration… there aren’t too many 1000 sq ft homes built in the last fifty years that lend themselves to being moved. Quite a few monster houses out there. I got pricing once on just lifting my former VLA era home off its pier-and-beam foundation to pour a basement and was shocked – we moved instead.
I’d sure love to know where these homes are now.
This makes all more impressive what my legal father did with his wartime house on Forest: hoisted the whole thing up with jacks and built a basement under the house. As far as I can remember he did the whole thing himself. One of his grand-daughters, her husband and two boys still live there today. He moved the whole house….. vertically.
That’s amazing, Douglas. The house I was referring to was actually right in that area too – on Louis. I loved the street. Just outgrew the house. Really wanted to stay. Great neighbours.
i grew up on Meighen rd in the sixties a family across the street from us jacked up their house to do a basement after it was done it was the highest house on the block kind of looked out of place
a lot of houses were moved when they were making the E C Row expressway, a lot from the area by Walker Farms, we used to see these houses go past my house, which, sadly, was demolished. I often wondered who was uprooted to make the 401 and what they did with the houses, and yes, are they still standing today?
The house being moved looks like it has about 5 rooms. Don’t think they build ’em like that anymore.
Don’t forget they moved a few of the houses on Lens (across from Met Hospital) when they wanted to make more parking. I was a kid at the time, but I still remember that. Two of the houses moved on Memorial Drive… one on Gladstone and the other on Windermere.
They’ve moved bigger homes in even earlier times. I’m sure they can find a way to move homes still. Maybe not large brick homes, but look at the old farm houses on Pilette near the river… they were moved from Riverside drive in 1916.
There’s also another near there on Wyandotte that was moved from the early days.
Shawn, lets not forget the houses in Walkerville that awere where the original post office is situated today. They were moved to Chilver beside Willistead Park.
Yes indeed, small frame houses like that, typical of the turn of the century that fit on 30-40 foot lots would be practical moving candidates. I saw a big garage (or workshop?) going down county road 8 on Sunday with OPP escort. Surprising, it was a tight squeeze even out there.
They just moved a house off Riverside Dr E near Tecumseh to Lesperance Rd across from the fire hall. It was placed on a lot where a house had been demolished a couple of years ago due to a fire.
My friend’s familys house was moved to make way for the Parkway. The house was between Cabana and the college, across from Heritage Park church. It was a long ranch and was moved in 3 pieces. The province paid them out, and then it was someone else who bought the house and moved it to Lasalle.
A good friend of mine’s parents live at 555 Ducharme. They always said that their house was moved from another location before they bought it. They have done extensive renovations on the house in the last couple years but it looks like it could be it.
They still move houses. I know a guy that works for Desjardins House Movers. I think hose construction has a lot to do with it. Houses are larger and have basements. That makes moving them a lot harder.
I seem to remember that Dougal was the start of the 401. Talk was hwy 3 was to give access to a new bridge that was to be built heading west just south of Cabana. This was decades ago and now we have an overpaid road to nowhere. Thanks that Ron Wagenberg couldn’t say “Expropriate!” like he did with our world class Checker Flag Expressway. Which reminds me, why is there no off ramp heading west at Jefferson, and what brainchild had the idea to have entrance ramps at the top of an overpass?