From the December 31, 1965 issue of the Windsor Star:
Hotel Dieu Hospital in the foreground has undergone a complete renovation in recent years at a cost of several million dollars. The newest phase to be complete is the Sisters’ residence and chapel shown in the left foreground, developed at a cost approaching the $1,000,000 mark. The background shows the Viscount Motor Hotel, fronting Ouellette Ave., where a $1,800,000 expansion to provide 125 additional motel rooms in the 18 storey tower is well under way along with decked parking facility and large meeting hall space. Bell Telephone, immediately to the left of the Viscount, is planning a major expansion to its service facilities. The view above looks south on Ouellette Ave., which is the main thoroughfare into downtown Windsor and to Detroit.
I started working at Hotel Dieu (as a Nurse’s Aide) in 1966. I used to have breakfast sometimes, coming off the midnight shift, at a little restaurant called Biff’s in the Viscount building. That’s where I discovered and became enamoured of steak and eggs for breakfast, still my favourite treat. I was married in the hospital chapel in 1970.
Wow! A straight Ouellette Ave. I forgot that some smart engineer in the past decided that straight streets are safer that meandering ones like it is today.
When was the first addition to the hospital completed?
JBM – I think the 1st addition was the building fronting Outellette (5 stories?), in 1938. Then the taller section that is positioned east-west. That was in the 1950’s. Then the Chapel/residence in 1964-65. Plus all the recent work in the 1990’s. New ER, parking garage, etc…
The Jeanne Mance residence was addded in the 1940’s.
Andrew, yes I was looking for the date of 1938 addition. Thanks!
ME – i always thought a straight road was a safer road too….hmmm. the weaving isn’t a traffic calming effort like they though it was. it just makes people drive faster on a twisting road.
Andrew – my lady’s grandma made the bronze (i think it is) mural that’s on the wall outside near where the old ambulance ramp was. her last name is Lamoure.
ME & Aaron – I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ouellette is still straight in that section. There’s an additional cut out for curb-side drop off at the old front of the hospital, but that’s about it.
How tall is the Vicount at this point? Nothing looks even close to 18, construction must have just stared.
I used to work in housekeeping at Hotel-Dieu for a couple of summers in 2002/2003. It’s interesting to see the different stages of the building. At that time, the first addition (5 stories fronting Ouellette) was called the St. Joseph’s wing and it was mostly empty. We would practice stripping and waxing floors there. There’s a couple of places we used to go to smoke in the middle of the building, that were ground level and closed off on all sides, but it looks they were open then.