First off, sorry for the lousy quality of today’s photos… It was late evening, and a camera phone… 🙂 Now tell me a story… Who knows anything about Alley Houses?
I recall during some of my research, reading in articles about “slums”, how these alley houses were a problem, many popping up during the depression, having been converted from garages.
This place has always interested me, located in the alley in a block bounded by Cataraqui, Louis, Tuscarora & Aylmer, the house has a legal address on Aylmer. According to the legal description of the property:
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ADDRESS 760, 762 AYLMER AVE
Legal_Description PLAN 134 S PT LOT 3 BLK B; IRREG; 4768.00SF 32.33FR 148.00D
PROP_RSN 5205
Roll_Number 030-140-01600
ZONE_1 RD3.1
ZONE_2
PROP_CODE 302 – MORE THAN 1 RESIDENCE ON A PROPERTY
Area 450.990548
I’m not sure if this one is still occupied (I don’t think so), these did seems to be prevalent across the city at one time. Anyone know of any others around town? They are a part of Windsor’s past, these alley houses, and I wonder just how many still survive today? If you know of the location of any, and want to share the location, please leave it in the comments below.
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There is one behind where I used to live many years ago ( if it’s still there) in the 900 block of Goyeau. There is a garage next door to it and 2 houses in front. At one time the garage used to be Cooper Automotive but has long since changed ownership. Right behind the Food Basics.
I knew someone who used to live in that house on the 900 block of Goyeau. Needless to say it was quite small inside 🙂 Theres one behind my parents’ house in the alleyway on the 1100 block of Marion that caught fire about 10 years ago. I’ve seen a few more here and there in the city and they’ve always intrigued me. Great post Andrew.
Very interesting topic. There is one off of Crawford on the west side of the street between University and Riverside Dr W. It was the first time I encountered one of these alley houses.
I bet these don’t cost $176,000 for 300 sq. ft like the little house in T.O. lol
They are trying to introduce Alley housing as an infill strategy in Vancouver. There, they call them laneway housing though, which has a nicer ring to it, and it is more about converting garages to rental accomodation – they cannot be subdivided.
I’ve actually seen alot of research on homes like this being a possible remedy to assist in curving suburban sprawl. The home might not be in an ally as most suburban neighbourhoods don’t have them, but they would be a smaller rental property accessed from the side yard. It’s a good way to diversify classes within the typically segregated upper middle class areas, the homes could be occupied by the seniors, students or single parents of fixed incomes. It also adds much needed density to suburban neighbourhoods.
I don’t think this quite falls into the “Alley House” category, but recently I noticed this listing on the MLS, it just stood out as a weird property.
http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=8918020
There is one on the 200 block of Frank. Very hard to find as I had never seen one before and did not know to look behind another house.
Oh, that rear building on the property is weird. I looked at the location when it was on the market a few years ago. The main house is quite normal for a duplex of the era, but the house in back is a strange size and layout. Here’s a house at 15**Gladstone that would be an alley house, except there isn’t a street house in front http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=chilver+ave+windsor+on&sll=42.682435,-83.012695&sspn=1.057993,3.532104&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Chilver+Rd,+Windsor,+Essex+County,+Ontario&ll=42.307289,-83.007999&spn=0.000118,0.000862&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=42.307243,-83.007975&panoid=nB3w1F1ffuiGrqGdxaqJVA&cbp=12,260.99,,1,-0.2
there is another between cataraqui and tuscarora in the alley east of langlois. alos one off the alley running east-west near moy, just south of wyandotte.
I know of 2 alley houses. One is at 1739 Parent.I used to rent the upstairs of the main house. There was a little house right up against the back of the big house.It was a garage that was put there and converted into living quarters before the big perminant house was built. It was now used as a rental apartment.It was so small that if you were in it and wanted to change your mind you had to go outside. The bedroom was only 6×8. It was placed on some blocks that were just laying on the ground. The walls were so crooked you would get dizzy as you walked through the door.It was like being in one of those funhouse mazes. After I moved out of the upstairs apt. My friend bought the property and I helped him fix it up. The bathroom was about 5ft wide and in that distance we had to rise the floor up 4 inches at one end.The roof of the little house sloped towards the back porch of the big house and would ice up and flood the back porch. After the cost of all the repairs to the little house and the damage to the big house because of it my friend could have torn it down and built a proper addition to the big house and been rid of the eye sore forever.
The second alley house is on Hall Ave.on the west side of the street. It is the first house south of Wyandotte right next to the alley. There is a 2 car garage that was converted to a rental cottage many years ago.I worked in it 10 years ago, rebuilding the shower. The place was well kept by the owner. She told me that many years ago while it was still a garage it was used for gambling and drinking. Probably during the 30’s. It was used mainly be the men who worked in the bussinesses along Wyandotte. She also said she knew my grandmother from Temple Baptist Church many years ago. Small world.
alley houses; iknow of a few alley houses that have been torn down in the same area and one still standing in the alley between wyandotte and tuscarora and parent and marentette,behind pawn shop.
How ’bout a field trip? All these “alley houses” should be documented, and it seems as though your readers have done most of the legwork for you, Andrew!
I know of two in my neighborhood, one in the 1000 and one in the 1100 block of Albert Rd. I’m sure there were more here when Fords was in full operation. Todays building standards would never allow this.
One behind El Mayor. Always wondered about it! Strange to have a house located in an alley. How do they define its address?!
strange that i was just suggesting to my freind that her house just might have been a garage at some point. they live on meigen two blocks south of tecumseh. the house is very small at set at the very back of a large property. There’s no alley but i assume the alley was disused and purchased by property owners to extend the back yards.
…hmmm.
Thanks Andrew!
A very well kept one can be seen above the man at the van:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1168+Erie+St+E,+Windsor,+Ontario&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=43.35432,92.285156&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1168+Erie+St+E,+Windsor,+Essex+County,+Ontario&ll=42.320514,-83.017733&spn=0.003018,0.005633&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=42.320587,-83.01778&panoid=E0v72F8Ww14soQYizP_ehg&cbp=12,236.39,,0,5
the place with the silver mercury is my freinds place i was takling about. it just seems to me that it was a garage. i’d be certain it was, but i’m not sure of the age of the trees on the property. if they’re old there could have never been a house on the site. The left wheel path in the driveway is actually an old sidewalk so…..i don’t know.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2380+meighen+windsor&sll=42.301018,-82.982386&sspn=0.00145,0.002406&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2380+Meighen+Rd,+Windsor,+Essex+County,+Ontario&ll=42.301859,-82.982714&spn=0,359.997594&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=42.301122,-82.98254&panoid=Igk9OWRBjzY4mVwjqHacDg&cbp=12,71.75,,0,1.09
This is the house on Goyeau behind the brick one. I see there is now a trailer of some sort beside the 2, not sure what that’s for.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?ll=42.310865,-83.032481&spn=0,359.998979&t=h&z=20&lci=com.panoramio.all,com.google.webcams&layer=c&cbll=42.310865,-83.03248&panoid=jIDTbOL7zGIg0gTKQKWPTw&cbp=13,108.71,,0,-8.12
not sure if its been mentioned in the postings yet…but if you go behind El Mayor on Wyandotte to their parking lot…there is one or two alley houses right there as well…have always intrigued me…at first I thought that was it that you posted Andrew looks similar….but an obviously different location…..
hehehe just noticed the one behind El Mayor had been mentioned….guess I should be more patient and READ all of the posts next time…sorry for that!!! LOL
Re::house behind El Mayor
The “alley” between Wyandotte and Brant is official known as Parent Place. It’s actually a street, but looks like an alley.
there is one on the street a grew up on 700 block of rankin west side of the street…its between wyndotte and union …it was occupied when i was growing up and is still occupied to this day
there is another between cataraqui and tuscarora in the alley east of langlois. alos one off the alley running east-west near moy, just south of wyandotte.
412 crawford