Photo from 2002 when the Nisbet was still open
One of the most frequent questions I’ve had lately has been the status of the former Nisbet Inn at 131 Elliot St. West.
Here’s the scoop.
The property owner is an out of country investor. Apparently he owned the building a long time ago, and sold it to the proprietors who ran the Nisbet Inn. When she sold the building, he bought it back.
On the east half of the lot there is a parking lot that has 26 spaces. The lot was originally the side yard of the Nisbet Inn property. The plan was to knock down the house and make 26 more.
The Heritage Committee informed the representatives that the building was listed, and an application for a demolition permit would trigger a move to designate the building.
A Bit of History on the place…
The house was originally built in 1915 for A.E. Bowman, and when completed its address was known as 5 Ann St. at the time. He’s listed in the 1919 City Directory as living in the house, his occupation is listed as “City Veterinarian”. The 1923 Directory lists Mr. Bowman as Chief Analyst of the Board of Health, but shows his residence as 828 Ouellette Ave.
What seems interesting is that was appears to be the second owner, Dr. J Wilbert Brien, Physician & Surgeon, converted 5 Ann St. into his office by 1922. Despite being built in 1915 as a residence, the building quickly became converted to commercial use.
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If its under 160k, maybe I'll buy it from him.
I used to always bicycle past this building on my way to a girl's house. I've always been intruiged by it and loved that whole nearby neighborhood. There are some real gems there.
maybe you should inquire Ric !!
and same here Mike, wish i had gone inside at some point.
My old watering hole....It was a great pub.
Uh...what I don't get is this. Why is there such a need for parking when many of the buildings that could use the parking are being torn down? No buildings = no people = no great need for parking. Please explain!
I've been to so many cities across the US and Canada and have seen this same strange behavior everywhere. City centers are emptying out, but there sure is lots of parking. Only in a few cities like DC where I live are things going the other way. Empty lots have quickly been filled in and now there's a lack of space for new buildings or parking...
I agree with MJD - too many parking lots in this city!!! I would like to know who is going to be using all this parking space when property owners can't even get tenants for their properties. After returning from vacation and driving home from work on Tuesday, I turned left onto Ottawa Street from northbound Walker Road and I just couldn't get my bearings with the Bank of Montreal building gone. I thought at first I had made a mistake after taking this same route for the last seven years. It just felt wrong. That corner looks so sad now, something is definitely missing and I am not talking about cars in a parking lot! On a brighter note, the roof repairs on the Lowe-Martin house have been started.
I don't understand how this lot can have more value without the building. You can't tell me there is no market for this builidng.
i suppose without that big, hulking, beautiful brick home in the way....you can do whatever you want with the property for years to come. urban praries are the wave of the future chet.....didn't you hear?
Yeah, I'm going over to The D tomorrow to check out some urban praries. Maybe I'll see a pheasant.
Whenever I go home to Windsor the incredible amount of good, solid old buildings and houses that are unused drives me crazy, especially as I pass all the new housing by the 401 on the way in that didn't need to be built.
Yeah, I'm going over to The D tomorrow to check out some urban prairies. Maybe I'll see a pheasant.
Whenever I go home to Windsor the incredible amount of good, solid old buildings and houses that are unused drives me crazy, especially as I pass all the new housing by the 401 on the way in that didn't need to be built.