Another old newspaper photo. Today’s shot is Ouellette and University Avenue, from July, 1958.
It’s interesting to see how much this block has changed over the years. The two buildings between the bank and the Kresge’s are now home to Chanoso’s and Oishii, and the Kresge Store has been replaced with a soulless, lifeless glass box Royal Bank building. Look at all the people out milling about, and shopping at stores where you can buy things…
___________________________________________________________________________________
Built in 1929, the house at 2177 Victoria Avenue was originally numbered 1545 Victoria, pre…
Crescent Lanes first opened on Ottawa Street in 1944 at 1055 Ottawa Street, opposite Lanspeary…
Above is a photo of the home of Mr & Mrs Oswald Janisse, located at…
in 1917 two Greek brothers Gus & Harry Lukos purchased a one story building on…
Photo from Google Streetview A long time reader sent me an email the other week…
An unremarkable end to a part of Windsor's history. The large vacant house at 841…
View Comments
Awesome pics. I'd love to put them up
Crowds of people on Ouellette?! Must be that wacky retail thingy they had going on back then.
That is the downtown I remember! I was twelve then.
My mom used to buy us lunch at the Kresge lunch counter. Terrible food served by women all wearing pale green maid's uniforms. Kresge's also had a hardwood floor, which you don't see anywhere anymore.
Good Photo Andrew !!!!!! That was my favorite store ever ! Love Kresges ! It's where i bought my make-up for the first time as a teenager lol !! back in 1984 !! Miss it so much !! Your the best Andrew thank you so much for this photo !! I will show my grandma !!! I miss the old downtown where i went shopping only !!
Keith remember that staircase in the back of the store facing Pellisser st? where the bathrooms were? I loved there hardwood floors !! FOOD was #1 !!!! 50's style diners miss it !
Looks like Bata and ? in Mark's businesses back then?
The bank was the Imperial bank of Canada, corner of Ouellette and London where I worked in the 50's. Many a lunch at Kresge's too - and bought many a dozen donuts there, the old fashioned kind - fried. Does anyone know what is in the bank building now?
Until the seventies the success of the downtown was built around retail as is clearly evident in these pics. That would probably ring true today as well.
To Keith W...You had to know what to order at Kresges. One thing that you could either order for consumption there or buy for home cooking were their meet pies. The absolute best. The eating counter was a serpentine design so you were aleays eating with friends and strangers. Too cool. Everybody ate there. Journalists, business people, hourly people, shoppers, tourists. It was always packed. The food and dishes were transported up and down via a dumbwaiter and soda jerks were positioned at each turn of the counter.
With today's urban plazas being built around open air access it may not be a stretch to bring downtown's popularity back on track. Retail and institutional are the key for sure. Proof is in the pics.
there's an update in today's paper about the bank, amongst other downtown developements: http://www.windsorstar.com/ventures+signal+downtown+Windsor+revival/2496465/story.html