Over on Felix Avenue in Windsor’s west side, you’ll find another classic old school building. Today known as J.L. Forster Secondary School.
The building was designed by an architect named Andrew Johnston Riddell in 1922. Riddell is a bit of an interesting man… Born and educated in Scotland, he moved to Canada in 1904 settling in Winnipeg. He moved to Windsor in 1918, and died in 1924. This is his only known work in Windsor.
As the area changed, so did the original building. Wings were added on each side.
But the original section remains in great shape. When it originally opened it was called General Byng School. As Sandwich was a community that was growing, they were always adding to the school system. It started with the construction of General Brock School, followed by the Prince of Wales. The local school board noted a need for a public secondary school, as well as extra capacity for primary school children, so the General Byng School opened in 1922, serving both primary and secondary school students.
– The Contract Record, October 25, 1922
The school building was eventually renamed in honour of an early principal, John L. Forster.
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Hmmm a more prominent person Forster or Byng? I'll take Byng any day.
I too am glad to see the school board keepingn this building in good shape at least from the outside.
I'd take Byng of Vimy as well. A Principal or the Commander of the Canadian Corps?
Oops. There's no "e" ("For'e'ster") in "Forster". Surprising how often this mistake is made. John L. Forster was the school's first principal.
Thanks Hal, I've updated the post.
ME & Ric - Same thing happened at the Windsor-Walkerville Technical School. It was renamed after the principal W.D. Lowe.
I'm not sure when they changed it, but I would suspect after amalgamation with Windsor in 1937.
Don't forget the grade school, General Brock. Sandwich had a habit of naming after military figures...
J. L. Forster, was also a long-time, active resident of Sandwich who lived in the 300-block of Rosedale Avenue. Although the house is in the proposed designated historical district, it backs on Indian Road and would be about a hundred feet away from the towering, international skyway/ truck route the Ambassador Bridge company is proposing for the neighborhood.
We used to take swimming lessons every summer when I was in grade school (1955 to 1959). I think the pool was changed to a lunch room.
I lived on Rosedale, two doors away from John Forster in the early eighties. He was in his mid nineties, but despite his age, he still went out for a walk every day. His daughter (who lived next door) told us that he would walk up to McDonalds at College & Huron Church (a little over a kilometre each way). I hope I'm as active and independent as he was when I'm that age.
I believe Forster will be participating in Doors Open this fall, if anyone wants to see the inside. To Mg: J.L. did, in fact, go to McDonald's on a regular basis. He was waited on by my husband who attended Forster, worked at McDonald's and is now Principal there.
Thanks for the nice pictures and interesting write up on one of Windsor's best kept secrets. The wonderful Forster Secondary School.