Back on the 7th, we took a final look at Ada C. Richards School. Last weekend, I swung by to take a look at the aftermath.
The structure is completely gone. Just a pile of rubble remains.
The sidewalk to the door remains, but lead only to bricks.
Houses on side streets are now visible from Ontario Street. No idea what the future holds for this parcel of land. It was sold earlier in the year, and is not owned by the school board any longer.
it’s gonna probably sit idle for a few years until someone buys it from the school board it would make a nice park for that neighbourhood but i’m betting some developer will cut a street into the lot and build houses i went to that school back in the 50″s
i spoke with the owner sometime last week and he plans to develop the land with raised ranch houses.
I heard there are going to be 15 ranch style houses on the property. If you would like a brick from the school the new owner says we can get bricks after they sort them Cindy Hillis
Raised Ranches…. Zzzzz.
While I welcome the development, there are other styles of single family homes.
It would be interesting to see a more urban approach taken here.
raised ranches won’t fit in to the style of the neighborhood this is one of the city’s older neighborhoods but we all know the city! gotta get the tax base
something like that happened in Toronto about 20 years ago rich oriental business men built huge homes dubbed monster homes in some older part of the city and the people living in that neighborhood complained that the newer homes were too BIG!!! for the rest of the existing homes in the area
Gary your right. This neighbourhood, much like my own has the front porch thing going for it. I can’t image if someone built a row of raised ranches in front of my house… Nothing like sitting on your porch looking at garage doors!
Excuse my grammar… “Gary you’re right”
I would have bet condos and now think a condo apartment building might have been better than “raised ranch houses” in the neighbourhood. Who do they think is going to have the money for them, anyway – in either case? I suppose they’d fit into the aspirations for Windsor as a retirement communtity. I’m a Windsorite born and bred but wouldn’t invest money in the city these days!
Clare i think your right a senior’s high rise would probably been a better bet for the property i think whatever the developer ends up doing is gonna change the whole fabric of that neighborhood
I have to aggree with Shane about the raised ranches, This is a neighbourhood that is suited for A porch style older home, Either ranches, 1 1/2 storeies or 2 stories would fit on this street. THe Idea of a low rise (about 3-4 storeys, constructed in brick, NO Stucco) would also suit the neighbourhood quite sufficiently.
Raised ranches: the scourge of Windsor new housing development!
I think bungalows or 1.5 storey homes would best fit in the neighbour. But, ultimately it would be up to the developer and what the customers want.
BYLAWS!!!! there should be form based bylaws in place that state what type of buildings can be constructed in what areas…
ie. you cant build a raised ranch next to a bunch of storey and half homes.
or, you can’t put a drive-through resturant along a commercial strip with 0 lot line commercial buildings.
The new urbanists have developed what they call a “form based bylaw” this is set up to completely replace the “single use based bylaws”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form-based_code
it should NOT be upto the developers. planners and architects should be making these decisions!!
Shane you are correct. But our weak-knee’ed administrators won’t do anything to rock their boat. Windsor plan and develop? They think that is was so-called “developers” do. yet they don’t realize that they are construction companies only.
I can’t imagine any big houses going into the neighbourhood. I mean, come on, it’s Windsor and who could afford to buy a brand new house right now when you can buy a second hand one for less than $120,000!
Developers are more concerned with making profits then they are at revitalizing older neighbourhoods. Most developers who building on infill lots in Windsor put up raised ranches because they believe that they are the easiest homes to sell. They also have to keep homes at a price point that they think people are will to pay. I would rather see house with front porches and the garages in the rear, but it probably will not go that way.
find out if there’s a lot of young children in the area and if there are…..then a park with all kinds of interesting playthings along with some basketball nets…a walking/jogging asphalt around the perimeter….etc. Just an idea.
Last week I was there and my minister saw me and got out of his car and asked me if he would like to take my picture in front of the school. I said no thatnk you that there were no memories there, It was just bricks and rubble. Cindy Hillis