Given the pace of work going on around town… It’s hard to keep up!
Here’s some things that have all come down in the last couple of weeks. Since I missed getting to them with a camera before they were wiped away, all the images come from Google Streetview.
Walker/E.C. Row Expressway
The other day I was coming home from work, and took Walker for a change. When I got to the bottom of the ramp, I noticed that the entire towing yard & buildings were gone. Cleared to the ground.
The View from Walker.
Another view from Walker.
The view from the off ramp at Walker.
Huron Church/Industrial Drive
The old Hallmark Tool building started coming down last week for DRIC.
Demolitions along here should be heating up soon…
Windsor Waterfront (Riverside & McDougall)
The old Blue Entrance to the Northern Belle Riverboat Casino bit the dust last week. This one I swear I had a picture of, but couldn’t find it, so again Streetview to the rescue 
This one is no loss… Soon to be replaced by the new riverfront stage.
Hope everyone had a good weekend….
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strange about the towing yard, I wonder what the plans are. Maybe the company is just building something bigger? or maybe the ramp will be lengthened with more of a sweeping curve into north bound traffic.
I think the Northern Belle “building” should have been saved in peices somewhere for a future use however. As well as that’s worked out for the bank fascade,It would have made a perfect Customs both …slightly expanded, if we ever do build a marina or get the eff on board with Detroit and make an actual dock for ships. With them building theirs and their new customs building, they have been tossing the idea of bringing the ferries back for commuters. As up in the air as that idea is, if the time comes we’ll have nothing ready to go and then the thought will fizzle out.
thanks Andrew!
my weekend consisted of 12 hr midnight shifts, so………yup
Hallmark is being revamped into more of a plaza-type building than just an empty former industrial building. It is not being demolished but refurbished from the inside out.
Rumor is the building on walker was cleared for a new banquet hall. I can’t remember what one, but they are moving to this location.
Wow. I just posted a sketch from last year of the location in the first shot and had remarked in the post how the buildings looked slated for the wrecking ball. I’ve updated that post with a link here. I am very disappointed I didn’t get my sketchbook down to the waterfront to capture the old Blue. I wonder what’s become of the bike rental business operating out of the river front side of the building?
As for buildings falling in the path of the DRIC the former Best Western Continental Inn and it’s adjoining restaurant Seasons bit the dust last week. Excavators have been on-site for the past few days clearing the site. Demo fences also up around a building on the west side of Huron Church just south of Spring Garden as well as around the recently closed Petro Canada at Huron Church and Grand Marais. Buildings in the DRIC footprint seem like they’re going to start falling at a faster pace now. Anyone else notice the former Travelodge at Huron Line and EC Row is a Comfort Inn now? Portends the eventual closure/demolition of the existing Comfort Inn/Golden Griddle at Huron Church and Spring Garden.
You know that you are getting old when….
A lot of the buildings being demolished recently are buildings that I have worked on during original construction or renovations. I remember being at the gateway building to the ‘Belle like it was yesterday. Worked on the removal and replacement of a large area of floor in the Hallmark building. The Comfort Inn was a mudholeswamp#@&*%!+|quagmire during construction. Lots of good memories of working with some good people.
The EC Row & Walker Road stuff was all purchased by the Greek Helenic Club, on Highway 3, just pass the start of the 401. The property they are on, along with the building, is where the new intersection for Outer Drive & Highway 3 will be, along with the Howard Ave Connection. From what I understand, is that they got a great Deal from the MTO for the property, and they get the all the land from EC Row to the old Aramco Plant Property. This will be 1 big Facility in the heart of Windsor, for the Greeks to party now, instead of driving out all the way to the country side, and not even having a bus that goes by the location.
Hallmark took building has had something in the works for a bit. The hallway that linked the 2 buildings together was removed this past winter, and the For Sale sign was moved closer to the Corner, with the nicer looking building. There is a sign out front of the Factory side of the building, for what looks to be a plaza.
Rumor around town is the Hallmark property will become the new home of the Harley dealership.
The Northern Belle entrance is certainly no architectural loss–but it was a reminder of the beginnings of the casino business in Windsor. If you strolled around the entrance canopy you could see the “chaser” lights still in their original fixtures–and walking “into” the building you could still make out the remnants of what had been the “landside” building, food court, etc–in fact you could still see where the floor tiles had been removed from the concrete foundation.
Interesting to hear about Hallmark, I took my info from the Windsor Star the other day, who posted a photo of the work with a caption of demolition for DRIC…
July 14, 2010 at 7:14 amHere is a link to a Windsor Star article about the development:
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/todays-paper/Leap+faith+transform+site+derelict+Hallmark+plant/3253775/story.html
Now only if we could get this guy to focus on our downtown! Better than the handful of “owners” who have sat on their buildings for years doing absolutely nothing with them.
The Comfort Inn/Golden Griddle at Huron Church and Spring Garden are now closed. Sign out front says the restaurant equipment is for sale, and the Golden Griddle website explains that the location was expropriated and thanks everyone for 23 years of patronage–so I guess that dates the place to ’87…the restaurant always seemed to do well and was one of very few 24 Hr operations in the area–shame to see it go (and the jobs with it). Hotel looks pretty much stripped out–I imagine now that the demos are rolling, it’ll go fairly soon. I believe Fred’s Farm Fresh had a sign up saying they’d be open until Early ’11…wonder how long the Huron Church/Pulford Tim Hortons has?