Here’s an old postcard view of the former Tourist Bureau location in Downtown Windsor. It was on the same site as the current Tourist Office on Goyeau at City Hall Square.
The caption on the back of the card reads:
- PROVINCE OF ONTARIO TOURIST BUREAU
welcomes visitors to
WINDSOR, Ontario, CANADA
A view of the edge of the postcard shows some of the old landscaping.
I know the new tourist bureau was built around 1990, was this one standing until that time? I don’t recall the previous building.
I was looking through the online Star archives for information on the old building, it seems in the late 50’s the provincial government promised to build a large office building in City Hall square to consolidate all local provincial offices, then delayed it and delayed it. The Tourism Office was built as the first phase of that project, 50 years later we’re still waiting for the rest. Same old story for Windsor.
Couldn’t they have taken one step to the left to avoid that street sign in the foreground??
I enjoy the sign being in the photo, I’m glad it’s there – welcome to Ontario, you can turn right on red! Those things usually get left out of history by taking those one steps to the side!
It was still standing in summer, 1991. But what replaced not too long after.
The old Ontario Tourist Bureau always reminded me of the Firestone tire garage on Ouellette or the old Beaver gas station on Howard. This may sound far-fetched but could the Firestone tire on Ouellette and the old Ontario Tourist bureau have been the work of the same architectural firm? I know it was not uncommon back in the 50’s and 60’s for architects to work for both corporations and government.
I love modern architecture… Its too bad we loose ones like this for lousy post modern designs like the tourist bureau we have today. I can’t imagine it will be long before some of these buildings will be eligible for heritage status.. Hopefully before they are all gone!