Clarke Monuments – 1044 Howard Avenue

Here’s one that’s a more recently lost piece of Windsor History. This small block building on Howard, just south of Erie Street, stood from the early 1920s until about 2020. For most of a century this was the home to D Clarke Monuments, a gravestone maker that was conveniently located near to Windsor Grove Cemetery at Howard & Gilles.

Don Clarke, the proprietor of the company took a stab at running for city council in 1963 and was elected, and with a loss in the middle and eventual reelection, he spent 13 years until then end of 1980 sitting around the council chambers.

Most famously though was the incident in 1980 between Aldermen Clarke & Roy Battagello that lead to two separate fistfights, including one in council chambers

It even lead to a good story by future councilor Alan Halberstadt a few days later. It’s easy to forget that Alan once plied his trade as a journalist before becoming involved in local politics:

The municipal election in November, 1980 would see both Don Clarke and Roy Batagello, lose their seats.

Don Clarke was a master of his craft, and one of a dying field of tombstone carvers. He helped to restore the 162 year old tombstone of Windsor’s first Jewish settler in 1979

Don Clarke passed away at his home in 2003

For many years the shop sat empty on Howard Avenue, the Howard location was a secondary location, with the main location having been moved many years earlier as there was more work at the other cemeteries in Windsor, with plots in Windsor Grove having long been all sold.

Streetview shows the shop and house to the south still standing as of 2020, while the newest streetview shows the lot under redevelopment.

I only noticed earlier this year that there was a new multi-residential building on the site. While the budling wasn’t particularity interesting from architectural point of view, and I am unaware of any links to architects or builders, it did have an association with a rather colourful Windsor character, a master craftsman and is part of the history of our fair city.