Demolition – International Metropolis

Clarke Monuments - 1044 Howard Avenue

August 20, 2023

Here’s one that’s a more recently lost piece of Windsor History. This small block building on Howard, just south of Erie Street, stood from the early 1920s until about 2020. For most of a century this was the home to D Clarke Monuments, a gravestone maker that was conveniently located near to Windsor Grove Cemetery at Howard & Gilles. Don Clarke, the proprietor of the…

Demolition Old Newspaper Stories Old Photographs

The Centre Theatre - Wyandotte Street East

December 18, 2022

Plans for an east side neighbourhood movie house, first came up in the 1930s, but the onset of the Great Depression but those plans on hold. Once the economy improved enough the onset of WWII further delayed the theatre’s arrival due to a lack of building materials.

Demolition Lost Windsor Renderings

Park Theatre - Ottawa Street & Moy Avenue

December 11, 2022

In December 1939, Famous Player had their staff architect Jay Isadore English draw up plans for a new Windsor neighbourhood theatre. The theatre was announced with a main floor seating 641 people, and a balcony holding another 150 for a total capacity of 791. Given its…

Buildings of Windsor Demolition Lost Windsor

Essex House Hotel - 317 Riverside Drive West

December 12, 2021

Image from SWODA A look today at the Essex House Hotel from 1961. The Essex House Hotel was built around 1840 and sat on the south west corner of Riverside Drive West and Dougall Avenue. In the late 1950s plans to develop a civic auditorium next door began to take shape and the Cleary Auditorium and convention centre rose to the east. The Essex House started to fall on hard times, and was…

Demolition Old Ads

Osterhout's Confectionary - 333 Ouellette

August 22, 2021

Regular reader John, sent me an email the other week pointing me toward the 1928 Motor Tourist Guidebook of Ontario which got me lookin at all the old ads and this one for Osterhout’s caught my eye. From McAlpine, J. D., “Tourist Guidebook of Ontario…

Demolition Lost Windsor Old Newspaper Stories

Downtown Demolitions - 1961

July 26, 2021

From the Windsor Star – November 15, 1961. An article about the impending demolition of some buildings as part of the urban renewal plan. 12 BUILDINGS TO BE WRECKED Downtown Landmarks Included Site of Court One of Areas To Be Cleared The city is…

Demolition Old Photographs Postcards Windsor

Hiram Walker Bottling Plant

June 28, 2021

A view of the Hiram Walker Bottling Building. This one was built around 1906 and was located on the south side of Riverside Drive to the east of the employee parking lot opposite the main office. The site today is a vacant lot. The building was demolished in September 1971. According to the article at the time, the building had been vacant since 1960, when the blending operations…

Demolition Lost Windsor Old Photographs

Municipal Court House - 1961

February 21, 2021

Image from SWODA While searching for something unrelated, I came across this picture of the old Municipal Court House at City Hall Square. This photo dates from 1961, although the courthouse was built in 1955. It was designed by Sheppard & Masson, who were also the…

Demolition Lost Windsor Old Photographs

Bridge Tavern - 2007

February 8, 2021

Another of Windsor’s legendary taverns, lost to history is the old Bridge Tavern at University and Bridge out towards the University. I spent a lot of time here in my youth, and it was a great place amongst the University crowd as well as locals. Image from…