Special thanks to the Voice Of Windsor for alerting me last week of the history uncovered at the “big dig”.
Down at Dieppe Park on the Windsor Waterfront, they are clearing the parking lot out, and preparing the ground for the architecturally un-inspiring turd called the “peace beacon”. Once this is done, they’ll be taking out the Cleary Guest House. Love it or hate it, the Cleary Guest house is the last remaining structure from the mid century drive to replace the industrial riverfront with a Civic Space and park.
Prior to the land being cleared for a park in the mid 1950’s, the land was occupied by commerical buildings.
The recent digging has uncovered the original foundation of some long gone buildings.
(Photo above from the VMC)
Demoliton of the buildings on the North side of Riverside Dr. for the creation of a Civic Center.
It is neat when our past makes a brief return, much like the old Street Car Tracks that appeared when Pitt St. was redone during the construction of the DCX building.
Enough with the history lesson! Bring on the shitty souless modern architecture!
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Hi Andrew, I went down there tonight and you can see all those old red bricks from the old Ritz Hotel that use to be there. I got a brick from down there tonight. wow the foundation was incredible! Wow 50 yrs buried! And you can see history again....Lots of bricks left if ya want some.....and stone foundation was to be seen too...so cool!! thanks for your posting!
Glad VOW got this news to ya. I also saw the foundations about a week and a half ago and totally forgot to tell you.
I'll have to go snag a brick :P
I wonder why they're spreading gravel in between those pilings? Silly me I'm a civil engineer grad but not sure what they have planned. Has anyone seen a rendering of what's going to be built there?
Hey, VOW - The "Peace Beacon", will be built there. Here's a link: http://www.citywindsor.ca/documents/Planning/RiverfrontPlan/AppendixC.pdf
Thanks for the link. I see now how they're going to build it into the earth there. moving it away from the river. I thought a business was supposed to open some restaurant down there though. Hard to tell from the plan. I see the public washrooms and a large space. Just not sure what will go in there.
remember the old department store on the corner of Ouellette & Riverside? Smith McDonald Bartlett & Gow? I worked there when I was younger. Really old intereir fixtures, ceiling fans and most of the electrical wiring had cloth covering the insulation. I remember everyone in a department going upstairs for tea, served from a really big metal teapot. I worked in the basement caverns stockroom with the window dressers.
Any idea on the date of the black and white photo ?
About 1955-1956?