Lost WindsorOld PhotographsWindsor

Looking North From The Norton Palmer Hotel - 1938

Another old photo, today’s view shows the Detroit Skyline from Windsor. This photo was shot in 1938, but according to the notes on the back, the print dates to 1952, and ran on Page 10 on April 5, 1953. A view of one of the old Norwich Block Buildings… Wasn’t this the building that housed the book store? The name escapes me… South Shore Books? There is also a ferry boat…
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Windsor

Canadian Bread Bakers & Pastries

I stumbled across this building a few years ago, but I have been unable to determine much about it… Located on the south east corner of Curry & Rooney Streets, the building features construction with glazed bricks. The sign on the exterior indicates Canadian Bread…
Windsor

Victoria School

Today’s post features a subject suggested by a reader, today we take a look at Victoria Public School. Victoria Public School was opened in 1922, and designed by Windsor architect Albert McPhail. While Victoria Avenue is named after Victoria Dougall, the daughter of…
DetroitOld PhotographsWindsor

Windsor From Above - 1930

As we head into the long weekend, today’s photo comes again from the Detroit News archives, this one was shot on a hazy July 12, 1930 There are some amazing parts of Windsor captured in this 80 year old photo. A nice view of Downtown Detroit is also visible in this shot. Visible here is the old Patterson C.I. at Elliott and Goyeau, to the right of Patterson is the Albert Kahn designed…
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going, going, gone...Windsor

837 Felix - Return To The Crooked House

We last visited this house back in 2007, but along with many of its neighbours, it is now one of many vacant boarded up houses along Felix. Back in 2003 things were much nicer in the area, what a difference a few years makes… Even if these house don’t get…
Windsor

Royal Bank - Tecumseh & Albert

This is a building I’ve always liked. The Royal Bank branch at Tecumseh and Albert. While the building has suffered through a terrible window job, the building is still a classic. It was designed in 1929 by architect Sumner Godfrey Davenport. Davenport was the chief…
Lost WindsorOld PhotographsWindsor

The Ritz Hotel

Photo From The Collection of Windsor’s Community Archives In all the discussions of buildings we’ve lost along the waterfront, rarely do I ever hear any mention of what was known in its last years as the Ritz Hotel. Located at the north west corner of Riverside and Ouellette, this eclectic piece of Victorian architecture started life as a branch of Merchant’s Bank. The building…
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Windsor

Forster Secondary School

Over on Felix Avenue in Windsor’s west side, you’ll find another classic old school building. Today known as J.L. Forster Secondary School. The building was designed by an architect named Andrew Johnston Riddell in 1922. Riddell is a bit of an interesting…
Windsor

1567 Ouellette - The Ernest Wilby House

This big Tudor Revival house on Ouellette Avenue, has seen better days, but was also the home to one of the most important architects of the 20th century. Ernest Wilby was born in England in 1869, moving to Toronto at age 4, and retuning to England for college. He…