For the next few days, we’re going to take a look at some of Windsor’s sub-division history.
Up first, is this ad that ran in the Border Cities Star September 24, 1920. Being beside the land that was designated as the General Motors Corporation Subdivision, some developer decided to try and cash in on that, and the name of the head of GM Canada, Sam McLaughlin, with this subdivision.
As you can see by the map, the area north of the tracks to Tecumseh Rd. ended up being fairly built up, however the area south the the Tracks to Grand Marais, never really took off at the time. I think the area south of the tracks must have been McLaughlin Park II.
Note the area labeled Hiram Walker & Sons to the right of Walker. This is the area occupied today by the Chrysler Plant. It was originally a farm for Hiram Walker.
This is the area of the City where the cross streets are named after WWI battles, south of Met Hospital. Lens, Alsace, Vimy, Loraine, Verdun, Ypres, Amiens, Arras & Somme.
Most of the houses look to be of mid to late 1920’s style. I’m guessing that this new subdivision took a while to get going, as evidenced by this ad that ran December 31, 1928, eight years after the initial ad…
A sample of the houses built in the area:
This one above is probably one of my favourites in the city. It’s so different, with the recessed doorway and the use of clincker bricks.
sounds like an intresting couple of days!!! me and my girlfreind were actually looking at your favorite house just the other day because of the doorway and the clincker bricks lol. i tell ya though, i’d be worried nowadays about someone climbinh the walls with those bricks and getting in. the home in pic #2 with the mustang is my favorite….somethin about the warm fuzzy at home feeling that porch is giving me.
and something tells me that the neighbourhood really started taking off after hugh beaton began construction…..maybe that’s why it was placed there to begin with, to jump start this community. any idea why GM opted to leave all the land south of tecumseh? maybe met hospital just bought the land from them???
ps – not sure if you seen my post yesterday – i think the K of C is gone already, might want to check it out.
oh…..is this contractor related to the kerr motor car company, i beleive it was????
AND…..you just don’t see contractors (mike holmes exempt) putting that personal garuntee anymore ” I have some very fine homes just completed OR we will build one to suit your own particular style and taste”
simply unbeleivable!!!!! you mean i don’t HAVE to have a house just like everyone else on the block?!?!?!?!? ……wrong era Aaron….you were born in the wrong era.
South Walkerville has some really fine homes. Now, I’m curious about the first add with the Good, McGivern, Currie Co. offices. Anyone have pictures of what their office building looked like at Park and Ouellette in Windsor and of the Empire Building at 5800 Cherry, Detroit? If they were building elegant houses in these subdivisions, I’ll bet their offices where in fairly elegant buildings too.
When I google the Empire Building Detroit, all I’m finding is the Empire State Building in NY.
With Park and Ouellette, I think there was the Prince Edward (now that glass Scotiabank) in one corner next to the Canada building, Birks (now Pepper’s), the stucco’d Post office and the Holiday Inn. Was there an office building where the Holiday Inn used to be or where those just store fronts like the Post office?
Interesting how living near a factory was once a selling point!
Can’t imagine that the homes built today would last so well after almost 90 years.
Oh, memories. I grew up on Amiens, and went to Hugh Beaton. I still try to convince my fiancee that we should think about buying our house in that area, if only for my nostalgic tendencies. I miss the look of the streets in the autumn, with all those trees turning colours, especially Optimist Park.
Aaron, you’re right about the K of C.
John sent me an email last week when the fences went up.
David – I imagine that the Windsor office was just that.
Likely they were a Detroit firm only out to make a buck in WIndsor. There is no listing for them in the 1919 directory, and the next one I have is 1923 and they’re not listed in there either.
That area is still in great shape and the neighbours very pleasant. Interesting to see that places with such character are still around but new subdivisions are already becoming ghetto’s with the lower priced side-by-side houses (think of the area near N. Talbot and 401)or ghost towns.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25887040
Also there is a glut of condo’s in Canada according to the economists and yet Widnsor wants to build more…go figure on catching the last train out of the station.
The yellow brick house is at the corner of Vimy and Kildare (pretty sure) my father lived in that house during the Depression. I grew up on Chilver, north of Tec Road. I went to Hugh Beaton and had many friends that lived in these great homes.
I’ve always liked that neighbourhood, just because of the houses! But unfortunately it is another one of Windsor’s many cut off areas to bus routes and shopping and not a walkable to anywhere neighbourhood. What I don’t understand is that the above houses aren’t big sprawling homes but bigger (wtih two stories) than the crap cooky cutters their building now on what appears the same size foot print of a lot.
LOL. Two large public grade schools, one of which is under major reno, the other of which is featured in a photo above, three bus routes to get in/out of the area, a sprawling mature park and community centre to the south, library branch (for now) to the north, decent albeit not complete complement of stores, ie. bakery, deli, dry cleaner, pharmacy, doctors offices, bank, etc. along Tecumseh road (which is not what it was 30 years ago but what isn’t). Sidewalks servicing the streets with the exception of I believe Moy and some sidestreets. Plenty of elderly neighbours – including the one next to me – make do without a vehicle at all for this very reason. As a resident of James’ old block, I find the area very walkable. Not perfect. But not anything like you have described it, Urbanrat.
I’ve lived in this very neighbourhood for 22 years, and I walk right past these streets everyday. I agree that it’s one of the nicest places in Windsor. However Andrew, I think the McLaughlin Park part of the development is on Byng and Turner roads, and not so much on the WWI named streets. The homes on Byng and Turner are much more modest. Also, according to the map in the ad, if the Windsor/Walkerville border is where the map shows it is, (which is generally at Gladstone) then chances that this particular development did not reach all the way up to Kildare. The development on the WWI streets and Kildare, Chilver, Windermere, Lincoln, etc. are most likely from the Kerr development only, or another development. I know there are many Arts and Crafts style homes reaching all the way over to Parkwood, near where the wartime houses were built during WWII.
Kevin, you might be right on that. The map isn’t all that detailed, and it’s hard to tell what’s what.
I based my guess on looking at the area south of the tracks, and how far west it went. Also the General Motors Industrial Site is split on the map above with what looks like a road diving the two halves. I took the split as Kildare. as GM has always fronted Walker Rd.
If this wasn’t the McLaughling Park Sub, then that would put this in the GM Sub.
I grew up in the house on the left in the photo above Hugh Beaton School.