Red Cross – 1226 Ouellette Avenue – 1949

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• I remember a cream or yellowish brick facade,with a kind of art-deco look (slightly curved corner windows). The bricks had that smooth enameled look to them, which set off the big red cross which your eyes were drawn to when the bus stopped in front.

• There was a parking lot on the south side of the building. Being a blood donor spent more hours there, at the beginning you would go upstairs to give blood, where you were given a bottle of Coke to drink first before giving blood, after you gave blood you had to sit for awhile and have a hot drink or Coke and cookies. The best part was one of the older nurse's would come around a container and ask if you would like some mouth wash, I always took it as it was a shot of whiskey you were getting. Towards the end the area for donoring blood was moved down stairs at the back of the building. I believe it was torned down a few years after they moved.

• Ah, yes, I remember it well - as Chevalier used to sing. It seemed that back in earlier times giving blood at the Red Cross was a rite of passage for high school students. I gave my first few pints there into glass bottles after being sliced on the finger with a two sided razor blade. We rested on army cots and - believe it or not - they gave us a swig of Navy rum. I missed that during all the donations since 1226 Ouellette.

• It was a nice old building, Andrew. I worked under contract in there briefly around 1990. It was torn down sometime after that though I'm not sure why it could not be repurposed as it didn't seem to be in bad shape at all.

• I seem to remember they sold the building to some "Condo" devloper dururing the big boom for condos on every block, that never happened.

• Donated many a pint of blood there as Chryslers would let you leave early to give blood. They would let you leave work to donate, and you didn't have to come back to work to punch out, all this was paid time off, usually your were done and still had a little time to go for a few drinks. This was done on Thursday afternoon shift. I must have done this 25 or so times. As said earlier it was done upstairs using the front entrance then later we used the back entrance and went downstairs. I remember the shot of whisky donated by Walkers ,I was told.

• Richard, you are correct. Then it sat vacant for a while before it was torn down.

  Is it me or does our Ouellette Ave looked like a gapped-tooth whorewith all of the vacant land?

• Totally forgot about the old red cross building.
  Does anyone remember the sign that was located ... I think beside Anderson funeral home for years.
  It read "future office complex" ready for occupation in spring of 92.... Then the 92 got crossed out and was replace with
  93, 94. ....... I left Windsor in 99 And the sign was still there.
  Never built.

• I volunteered there during highschool when we had to do mandatory community service. That was 1991 I think. Torn down a couple years after that I think. Always think of that building when I drive by the empty lot. The apartment building next door is pretty cool too.

• I too remember the Red Cross building very well and was sad to learn that it had been torn down. What a lonely site that is now. My younger sister who has cerebral palsey, attended a special school there along with about twenty other children with her condition. This was in the early fifties. We lived on Norman Road at that time and every morning a special Red Cross bus would pick her up and deliver her home again. This went on for at least five years. As a teenager I would often donate my time to help out at certain times of the year with parties etc. particularly at Christmas. Yes, I have fond memories of happenings in that building and what wonderful people the Red Cross people were/are.