From the Border Cites Star, June 23, 1921:
- Sketch of the design accepted by the Walkerville School Board for the new high school to be erected at a cost of $450,000. It was prepared by Boyd (sic) and Thomson of Windsor. The new building will be located on Huron street, between Devonshire and Monmouth roads. It will be of a gray-buff color (sic) and will contain 24 class-rooms in addition to physics and chemistry laboratories, and auditorium to seat 8000 people, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. All the class-rooms will be above grade level, only the swimming pool being below ground. The boiler room and power house will be located in a separate building.
Designed by John Boyde and J.P. Thomson, the construction was supervised by Pennington and Boyde.
According to the newspaper reports at the time, this design was the winning one in a competition held to design the new building. Local architects who made it to the final round were I.S.F. Walker (who designed the Lincoln Road United Church), David Cameron and Albert McPhail. I would love to see some of the designs that were submitted but never chosen.
Throughout the 1920’s some of Windsor’s grandest buildings were schools. Along with John Campbell, Kennedy and others, it was truly a boom time in the Border Cities, luckily many of these fine buildings still stand today.
“an auditorium to seat 8000 people”… is that a misprint?
JBM, probably a misprint. I went to Walkerville and I don’t remember it being that big 🙂
I suspect 800 is more likely.
A capacity of 8,000 would have made it have a larger seating capacity than Radio City Music Hall by nearly 2,000 seats! Typical Windsor small-mindedness 😉
Consider for comparison the venue at Caesar’s is 5,000 seats…
As a side note, I read through the article that accompanied the rendering, and it states 800 seats. So clearly a typo in the caption. 🙂
That is quite the landscaping depicted in the drawing. I have many postcards of Tech (aka Lowe) High School from it’s early years but have never seen any of Walkerville. I’m sure they are out there. Does anyone out there have one?
Do you have any interior photographs of the Auditorium/Theatre? I haven’t been in there since an elementary school field trip in the 80’s. I remember it being quite nice inside there.
There are postcards of Walkerville collegiate, but the one I have doesn’t say Walkerville you have to recognize the building. They just say collegiate institute…I think the one of Patterson also just says collegiate institute….
I attended Walkerville C.I. from 1954 to 1957, many unhappy memories, anyone remember the old principal a horrible man, Mr Balls or any of the useless teachers. They wouldn’t get any where near a school today. Yes the auditorium did seat 800 and very nice it was. I was in the school orchestra (one good memory) and we often performed on the stage in front of the whole school. There were also many plays performed for both the school and the general public. The collegiate had a fine swimming pool and a new gymnasium was added about 1955.
Windsor Light Opera used to rehearse / perform at the auditorium about that time too. A crow could sing better than me, but I had friends in the Light Opera; I wonder if it still exists…
Ken Andrews, It is now called Windsor Light Theatre and yes they are still around. Their shows are at the Chrysler Theatre.
Was the building scaled down from its original design? This rendering is four windows wider than the school as it was built.
I mean, four windows on either side of centre – one extra classroom on each side?
i’ve seen a postcard that catches a little more of Argyle,and the newly planted sapplings lining the street.
Great article! My grandfather, William Moffat Thorburn was Secretary/Treasurer of the Walkerville School Board at the time and negotiated a larger lot size which allowed for the completion of the tennis courts and the cinder track. It also allowed for the expansion later which added the “new gym”. His picture hung in the hall by the main office, near his office, until the late 50’s about the same time that Bert Brown was named principal following the beloved Mr. Ball. The 75th reunion saw many former students and staff come together and reminisce about “the good old times”. Living in South Walkerville, most of my family graduated from WCI and remain proud Tartans. A terrific school highly regarded for both athletics and academics.
Highly regarded for athletics? Really? Must have been decades ago…
Boy, I thought I was the only one that really disliked Mr. Ball. Mr. Brown wasn’t that much better. I think my favorite teacher was Mr. Martin Young, who at the time taught Latin. I remember there were 2 Mr. Youngs, brothers I believe. I moved down south in April of 57. Schools down here were absolutely nothing compared to our schools in Windsor.
Well, now, I must disagree with my younger sister, Sharon Gray Sims — I thought Mr. Ball was very nice — strict, stern, but kind-hearted. In Grade 10 or 11, I was having a terrible time with algebra — just couldn’t understand it. He took me out of the regular class and every day at that time he gave me and one other girl private lessons in his office. I can’t say I finally won a prize in algebra — or that I ever got to LIKE it, but I DID get a pass — all thanks to him. I don’t know what problem Sharon had with him — can’t remember her ever talking about it. But looking back now, I truly believe that ALL the teachers at Walkerville were exceptionally good.
Graduated in 1965. Mr. Martin Young taught me latin – great teacher. Rumour was he could not allow himself to get angry due to a metal plate in his head. His brother was Willie Young – good teacher (science – room 288)- but very different. He also taught after school classes (classroom)for driving. He would stand out side his office between periods swinging a golf club with no head on it, stiking the terrazzo floor with the tip to make sparks and threatening doddlers in the hall. Rumour was he once held a student by the heels out the window. I remember Principal Brown – not so bad. The disciplinarian was, as was custumary, the Vice-principal – I think his name was something like Eisenhower.
Correct my previous post – the vice principal was Mr. Nighswander.
The rumour about William “Uncle Wille” Young was still talked about when I graduated in 1974, 2 years after he retired. Soon after his longtime friend Ian Allison would also retire.
If you look at the rendering you will notice that it is much larger than the finished building is. Originally there was a a center courtyard. It would later be turned into the theatre. As for the pool, lovingly known as: “The Bathtub” well… it was very small. It’s size may have been a result of budgeting constraints. Dreamers are often reeled in by accountants and politicians.
Memories, memories!
I graduated in 1955 and was never so happy to finish school. Started working at Chrysler Canada and when I left was an executive secretary to two directors, the Director of Marketing and the Director of Customer and Dealer Relations.
I liked all my teachers except Mr. Ball who was my guidance teacher. He asked me a question and I was unable to answer it. He said I didn’t know my work and I don’t know where I got the courage but I told him that he scared me. He let me sit back down without any further comment.
Read a comment from Gayle Gray. She was my friend in grade 12. I remember she used to teach new Italian immigrates English. My first piece of pizza was given to me by Gayle which the mother of one of her students had made. Boy was that good.
Little Mr. O’Brien used to sit along side of me in Geometry and helped me draw angles. I think he liked me because I had red hair. (I never did like my red hair)