Or at least as it looked, pre-Chanoso’s.
Over at the excelent Windsor Blog, Scale Down, Windsor… the other day I was giving Mark Boscariol a hard time over his choice of stucco to reface the buildings that house Chanoso’s and the Sushi Place next door (the name currently escapes me…). While it was mostly good natured, and Mark accpeted the error of his ways, I promised him last night at the blogger meet-up that I would post some old photos of the buildings.
Here are the buildings prior to renovation in January 2002. I will agree they were nothing to look at, at the time.
Let’s go back to the late 1940’s. Under all that stucco “that looks like ass”, were two grand old buildings that underwent very unsympathetic renovations and refacing over the years.
Just don’t ever do it again Mark. 
At least you were gentle about it, Andrew!
Oishii Sushi is next to Chanoso’s
Somtimes past renovations make it near impossible, at least from a financial standpoint to make the exterior better. But put me in the camp of “stucco bad”. Take a lokk at Wyandotte that place is a bonanza of stucco today. It is absolutely apalling!
Sorry I couldn’t make it last night I have been fighting a bit of a bug and I didn’t think anyone would want to catch it.
i always remember going to coles bookstore there where the paper is on the windows. then it was a video store for a while after that. i haven’t been so happy with how the flying monkey renovated. doesn’t seem very welcoming anymore.
Stucco is a blight everywhere (except maybe Santa Fe, where it belongs), Toronto included. A few issues of the print magazine ago we had Stucco as our “public enemy.”
I’d like to applaud the F.W. Woolworth Co. for their efforts to reduce climate control costs by using the latest passive solar mitigation devices. Kudos.
Thanks for posting the pics, I hope people will learn from my mistake.
As soon as the Feb 20 event at the caboto club is over I’m going to get a quote to see about a facade quote that would fit our new design guidelines. Maybe I can apply for the grant myself. (I can hear the cries of conflict already)
Hey, what d’ya want for a decent resolution copy of both of those pictures?
Email me.
I remember when it was Coles Bookstore as well, my mother was the manager there untill they closed (which I must add they just let everyone go even though she had around 18 years with the company) but anyway I remember in the basement there were 2 huge walk in safes so Im guessing that at some point the building may have been a bank.