Few few years back, I came across and old photo album for sale that was full of photos from around the Great Lakes. It’s full of photos from Belle Isle, Boblo, Buffalo, Detroit, Grayling, Lewiston, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Put-in-Bay, Toronto and Windsor. All from 1920 & 1921. It’s a great historical record, and I had the Windsor Photos online many years ago. For all the new readers, here we are. A tour through Windsor 1920. Part II will follow tomorrow. Captions are as they appear in the album.
Heintzman & Co. (Pianos)
St. Alphonsus Nunnery (my correction -> St Mary’s Academy)
Pitt St. looking east.
Wyandotte St. looking E. from Ouellette Ave.
Windsor Collegiate Institute
Windsor Collegiate Institute Annex
Windsor Ave., as seen from City Hall. All Saints Church (right)
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PS – It’s election day today. Don’t forget to go vote!
Gee, what Windsor “used” to look like compared to now. The downtown was much bigger and the bulidings absolutely incredible. What a shame it looks so much like a 1970’s turd today.
I take it that Windsor Collegiate became Patterson Collegiate?
Is it me or do the roads on Pitt, University and Wyandotte St. look a lot wider in those pictures? It almost seems like you could get two lanes of cars each way plus street parking.
he he he. A 1970’s turd!
What is a 70s turd? In particular?
Downtown Windsor is a lot more p-lot now, so seems empty.
“What is a 70s turd? In particular?”
A: ‘Muskrat Love’ by Captain & Tennille, 45rpm.
Me – Windsor Collegiate did become Patterson, before meeting the wrecking ball and becoming an A&P currently Dirt Basics.
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Daivd, the streets are the same witdth they always were. Don’t forget cars in 1920 were much thinner than today’s cars. That’s probably why they look bigger.
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John, that’s one of many…
I’m guessing that St. Alphonsus Nunnery was next to St. Alphonsus Church on Park (where the Tunnel exit is now). That’s depressing. They should have saved it and moved the tunnel somewhere else. It reminds me of Detroit’s former city hall and could have made an awesome city hall, not like the piece of crap looking city hall we have now.
The Nunnery was actually on Ouellette. When it had to move because of the tunnel. We ended up with the South WIndsor St. Mary’s. That’s the building we never should have lost.
You can blame Mike Hurst and His Holiness Kenny Lewenza for the mess Windsor has become. We had a vibrant, interesting downtown through the 1970’s and 1980’s that attracted American consumers’ in droves. Today, downtown Windsor has become a ghost town not unlike Detroit during the reign of Big Daddy Coleman Young. Mike Hurst’s anti-business administration, generously supported by the CAW, treated entrepreneurs like a virus to be eradicated and tried to put private developers out of business by using taxpayers’ money to finance the new construction. When Charles Mady offered to sell the 500 block of Ouellette to the city for less than it cost to build a new welfare office, King Mike put his foot down and we ended up with a giant glass turd next to city hall.
i wanted to enter a contest for blues tickets but the contest email came on the 5 and ended on the 7 i was gone for the week end and got home at 4:00 pm and the contest is over and i can’t email windsor ontario .net this is bull shit i will not visit your site or theirs again and i will till everyone i email who is about 168 people.
gar
Gar
Wow what does this have to with anything here. Go take your griping somewhere else. This is a place for Windsors history. Not a place for nonsensical complaining.
Wow is amazing how different Windsor looks now. Would like to see some of those pics from Belle Isle and Bobblo if you havent posted them up yet Andrew.
Visited Windsor first time as a kid in circa 1947–about the time a serial killer was on the loose, tagged “the slasher”; did his/her dirty deed along riverfront, east of Ouellette and the CNR/Wabash passenger station at the foot of Goyeau. As a young “brain” kid, in 1951 worked as a telegrapher operator at the CN Walkerville office at the northeast corner of Assumption and Devonshire–C&O Railway station was opposite on west side of Devonshire near Peabody Bridge. Then I got “promoted” to main office at 364 Ouellette, next to the Canada Building. Never had i.d. checked, but drank 10c draught beer near door in basement of the Prince Edward Hotel–think it was called “The Piccasilly Room”–I was only 17 at the time (legal age was 21!). Downtown Windsor was enjoyable in those days…stores, movie places, activities, retaurants (TBQ–what a great pig-out place). The choir and altar servers at nearby All Saints Church–we all smoked and drank–used to eat at TBQ after Sunday services. Before I became “pious”, I used to drink beer at several “blind pigs” on Drouillard Road and area–25c a bottle!
P.S.: Windsor is only municipality I know of with “even” street numbers on east and north sides and “odd” street numbers on west and south sides…but 100 numbers for each block as it progresses southward from the river is a brilliant idea. Can’t go to Windsor anymore, too much wonderful–but mostly very sad–memories there. A life loved but not lost. Thanx for letting me spout off with my memories (Metropolitan store explosion/fire in ’61), fire and explosion in paint factory on Campbell Ave. soon after, D&C boat(s) being set afire and sunk in Detroit River to the sound of Ebb Tide — “radio 80” highest ratings in Det-Wdsr area. Channel 9 Dance Party, host “Bud Davies”, 676 Caron Ave., 1190 Hall Ave., 1260 Shepherd East, Harmony Grill on Ottawa St. Sorry, I’m going on and on. Thanks again.
Ken Andrews
Ken, thanks for sharing your memories!
My mother, Helene Dyer, atteneded Patterson Collegiate… I was delighted to find this site with the orginal building picture.
I have some copies of the school paper…The P.C. Eye, which unfortuneatly do not have dates on them. I would like a contact e-mail address of someone I can discuss the donation of these school newspapers. Am also looking for another history site for patterson collegiate
thank you
maureen
abbotsford
bc
I attended Patterson Collegiate as a youth as well…my, that was so long ago!
Thanks for sharing…
Patrick
Edmonton, AB
is there photo’s in existense of holy rosary catholic school on drouillard from 1964 or before? i can find none anywhere. i went there from kindergarden to grade 3 . thank you.
harmony grill on ottawa st. best crinkle cut fries, best home made pop straight from the fountain, best cheeseburgers, best of eveything. low prices and great food that kept grade school kids like me coming back. its just a memory now with several failed businesses in the same location since harmony grill closed down. can harmony grill PLEASE retun back to its old home. it would be a TREAT. wishful thinking on my part. GREAT RETRO MEMORY THOUGH. EDWARD