Downtown Windsor Early 1940’s

Three more vintage shots today from the Bernie Drouillard collection. The photo above is dated June 1941, and shows a street scene of Ouellette Ave. looking north from Wyandotte Street. Note the old streetcar tracks are still visible on Ouellette Ave.

This shot shows the same view a few years later. The bunting has been removed along with the “Victory Bonds” banner. Perhaps this is after WWII was over? Also note the Streetcar tracks are now gone.

Here is a view of Ouellette Ave. looking south from Riverside Drive. The long lost Norwich block is on the right, and Albert Kahn’s original Bank of Commerce is located to the left. I’m guessing the photo above was taken at the same time as the photo before this one. Again the tracks have been removed, and the asphalt looks relatively new. The last two photos were probably taken following the removal of the tracks for S.W.& A. records.

It’s kind of depressing to see how far downtown has fallen. Despite the spin by the DWBIA and the Mayor’s Office, there is really little reason to head downtown these days.