The second floor of the station is very small. Holding a small hallway, two bathrooms, and the “terminal office”.
Great old banister and terrazzo floor.
Inside the Men’s room. Various shades of old green tiles line the walls.
The stalls are heavily covered in graffiti. Some of it dating to the late 70’s early 80’s. Were these washrooms once open to the public? Don’t forget to ask for Ted.
Different decor, but more of the same in the ladies room.
A lost art, gold lettering on doors…
Not too much to see here, a wooden enclosed cubicle. Anyone know what this was used for?
An old Art Deco styled wash basin.
More tomorrow…
“Not too much to see here, a wooden enclosed cubicle. Anyone know what this was used for?”
Punishment, I suspect.
Somebody steal those chairs in that picture, and do something good with them, before they jsut get thrown out.
I think those are ex-waiting room seats…. If you could get them out of there you would need to wash them down first… 🙂
Interesting pics. The door looks in great shape, someone could give that new life somewhere. The lettering looks pristine. In Detroit that would have been smashed about 2 days after the station closed.
Overall, though, a very functional but also uninspiring commercial building. Since it’s so small upstairs, it’s alternate use seems limited. The clock is ticking on this one.
Any idea what was on the site prior to the bus terminal being built?
What about the area facing the front (university ave)? Did they drywall it in to match the aluminum siding on the front of the outside or is the window opening still there if they removed the aluminum siding?
I like the natural red cedar woodwork. It brings out the charm and the class of the building. A new coat of semi-gloss whte paint on the rest, except the tiles, and it would be good as new.
I remember the bus depot well, from the ’60s when it had beautiful wooden waiting room seats, the kind that were connected, and several rows of them, in oak, I think–and kind of small and uncomfortable. Later, they were replaced with heavy-duty plastic type, what looks like those ones in your picture. The upstairs bathrooms were used, but increasing vandalism and other bad conduct led to their being sealed off from the public. I remember that when the upstairs bathrooms were open, I believe the men’s room window looked over the parking lot, and some guys would actually pee out the window there. So, it’s no wonder it was sealed off, and I think that led to those windows being covered. Quite frankly, since the bathrooms were so isolated, and pretty gross at the best of times, thanks to the few who wrecked them, most people would not want to use them, for their own health and safety. There was also an old scale outside, massive and from the 40s or 50s, I think, that was in place for quite a while. Other than that, the building is nothing that anyone should think of preserving. It’s pretty derelict and way past its best-before date.
Architecture that glorifies decadent Capitalist values like Beauty and Quality has no place in a community built on the backs of the proletariat! Only architecture that celebrates egalitarian, non-patriarchal Socialist values like Banality and Mediocrity are worthy of a city like Windsor.
george> does that kind of rhetoric ever convince anybody? I’ve always seen it turn people off, and those that write that like never convince anybody of their point.
True Shawn, but look at our “architecture” in this city recently. Grey or brown and very simplistic. I liken the Canderal building to something the soviets would have built in about 1985. The same with the new city building.
I think you are both right.
I’m confused. What’s this Canderal building that looks like 1985 Soviet architecture? Be more specific ‘cuz I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.
ME> I could go on about how awful the Canderal building is for a long time — my point is george is always talking about this weird conspiratorial unions vs. capitalism thing. Which might actually apply in a case or two, but he trots it out everytime, leading to people (me anyway) skipping over his comments when his name comes up. I just wondered if he found this method ever worked.
You made a good point Shawn but I’d like to point out that nobody to my knowledge has won the mayor’s office in my lifetime without the endorsement of The Windsor District Labour Council. And guess what? Over the last 25 years, we’ve had nothing but one mediocre mayor after another. And let’s not forget City Council. They’ve made one blunder after another, from the MFP leasing disaster to the Canderal building and how did we reward them? By re-electing the same idiots again and again. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that most of our current City Council would rather raise property taxes than contract out city services. That’s because our City government is more worried about offending Gary Parent and Kenny Lewenza that doing what’s best for the people of Windsor. We’ve got the highest unemployment rate in the country, our economy is in worse shape than Newfoundland’s yet we keep electing the same idiots to higher office. What gives?
In the 2003 municipal election when Francis won the mayor’s position for the first time, it was Bill Marra who had the support of the CAW, not Eddie Francis. In any case, union membership voting habits have changed alot over the years and they are starting to vote according to their conscience, not what Gary Parent or Kenny Lewenza tells them to do.
John> I’m certain the fact’s can’t stop the rhetoric.
University bought this and is converting it, discuss.