From the Evening Record, May 1917:
- Ever alert to the interests and prosperity of the city as well as to his own affairs, H. Benstein, merchant, now occupies the new building he recently erected at the corner of Pitt street and McDougall avenue, Windsor.
The building is a credit to the city and is built on the site of Mr. Benstein’s old establishment in which he conducted a dry goods, clothing and grocery business for the past seventeen years. The structure is three stories high, about 50×90 feet, with entrances on Pitt and McDougall, and is of steel, concrete and brick construction trimmed with stone.
The entire lower floor is occupied entirely by Mr. Benstein for his clothing, dry goods and grocery department, and in appointment is very appropriate. All the latest equipment has been installed making the store very complete and up-to-date. The second and third floors are laid out in apartments.
Steam heats the entire building.
According to the book “The Jews of Windsor”, Eli Herman Benstein, was born in Poland in the town Grodno (now in Belarus) in 1865. He arrived in Windsor in the 1880’s. Herman built Windsor’s first apartment house around 1900, and he passed away following a lengthy illness on December 26, 1928
Very nice building. Considering what it was built with , it could still be viable today….could, but not in Windsor.
Was this the building on the corner of pitt and macdougall that was attached to the old Consumer’s grocery store? I remember shop at the corner with some clothing and other goods. i.e. southeast corner
That building was on the north west side of Pitt St.Consumers Warehouse as it was know was on the Southeast corner of Pitt. I worked at Consumers Warehouse when I was 15 yrs. old selling eggs and buttermilk next to the cheese counter. The Windsor Market was across the street. That was a looooong time ago.
Thanks for the info. I worked there as well in the early 80’s. Right around the time when Morris Burke lost the business and it went into receivership – high interest rates in the early 80’s. Larry Carter then purchased it back and opened a warehouse division in the building behind Consumers.