The old Highway Tavern at the corner of Wyandotte and Dougall, which oddly enough actually has a Dougall Avenue municipal address, is likely not long for this world. This old place, built into a large old residential property, recently had a demolition permit requested. The 1923 directory lists it as a side by side duplex, while the 1937 fire maps show it as the Highway Hotel. It probably became a tavern about the time that prohibition was repealed, and it looks like it kept its name the whole time.
Traces of the building’s past can still be seen up top.
The building run half a block long, from the alley to Dougall along Wyandotte street.
The section with the “Coors Light” sign was once a Chinese laundry, while the part on the end that housed Kathy’s kitchen looks to have initially been a pharmacy in the mid 1920’s.
Not sure what the plans exactly are for the property or if the demolition will actually occur. There have been many instances over the years where a permit is issued, but nothing ever happens. I guess we’ll have to wait and see on this one….
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"Not sure what the plans exactly are for the property or if the demolition will actually occur".
Are you kidding? This neighbourhood is a mouth full of broken teeth. They'll all get yanked out and never get replaced. Another parking lot in the works. Hopefully it will be paved to keep down the dust.
Windsor once had one of the finest, most intriguing and historically significant collection of road houses and beer parlors in the country, due, in no small part,to the nearby border, the effects of American prohibition, and the proclivity of our stalwart working class comrades to unwind over a few pints after a sweaty shift on the assembly line. RIP, Highway House, Killarney, Lido, Westwood, and all the rest, too numerous to remember after too many hours spent in too many of them.
Wasn't this the Windsor Music Cafe for a while?
Uzzy, the Windsor Music Cafe is one block over on Victoria & Wyandotte. It's been closed for at least 5 years now. Was pretty dumpy when I went there in the late 90s.
Adam, that's right. I was confused. I've never been to either of them.
Sad.
Another one bites the dust... the Highway Tavern was quite the establishment near the end of its life, an amazing array of patrons. I stopped by there a few years back, just to check it out. We did not stay long, a fight was brewing that night, and I was glad to be near the door.
The Highway Tavern was also once a meeting place for the I.O.O.B. Club (The International Order of Old Bastards) - their logo still remains on the sign to this day.
The Windsor Music Café was located in the building that was originally the Killarney Castle Supper Club, northeast corner of Victoria and Wyandotte.
Get ready, the city wants to demolish it, and we know what that means. I smell a fire in it's future. I'm sure someone will come forward to say that they witnessed some teenagers leaving the scene, just like most of the other prohibition era taverns, roadhouses, or for that matter, any building the city wants rid of, but doesn't want to pay for the removal of. Around here, that's called "Urban renewal".
Demolition requests come from the property owners, not from the city.
I've spent a bit of time here and I always felt like I had to look over my shoulder a friend of mine's mother worked waitressing at the Kilarney when it was somewhat respectable back in the 60'sit seems to me that the music café always had trouble i'm sure the Windsor cops weren't sorry to see that one close
wasn't there an old boarding house across from it on the south side of Wyandotte that burned years ago??