I was 23 years old in 1969. I worked downtown at the U.S. Consulate which was located at 500 Ouellette Avenue on the 5th Floor (It was closed in 1970). Ouellette Avenue was a bustling street in those days. There were so many wonderful stores downtown back then like Smiths, Bartletts, Birks, Business Girl, The Scotch Wool Shop, Ed Laird's, Kresges and The Linen Shoppe, just to name a few. I remember, as a kid, getting my shoes at the George Wilkinson Store on Ouellette. The Prince Edward Hotel and the Norton Palmer were the hotels where most wedding receptions were held back then. I remember when the Metropolitan Store blew up. That was a terrible tragedy. The downtown area now is a far cry from the vibrant area it was back then. The Devonshire Mall had a lot to do with killing the downtown.
I was store manager a few doors down from Lazare's Furs at 481 Ouellette Ave in 1978-9. It started out as a government young adults work training program in order to learn new skills, then the store owners offered to hire me under their payroll, which I gladly accepted. Our store was a custom picture framing and gifts called Noonday Graphics, owned by the Awads. I loved my job there! They were wonderful employers who taught me that fascinating trade. It was my first cash balancing & safeguarding position. We had one sweet senior lady working part time whose nephew is/was a famous actor named Patrick McGoohan for those who remember him. She was so proud of him! Her husband drove the delivery van for Lazare's Furs and would bring her to work and home. A super nice couple who I'm sure have passed on long ago. Everyone at Noonday Graphics were a wonderful group to work with. Fond memories! ❤ Thank you again, Michael for another great Windsor memory video! 🥰
That was very familiar to me. A blast from the past. It was the last time I lived in Windsor. Brought back memories. Looks like a lot is not the same, but that's what happens as time marches on. Thank you, Michael.
Awesome video!! Thank you so much for sharing. I remember when most of the waterfront was train tracks. I moved to Windsor as a 10 year old from New Brunswick in 1992. I lived at 264 Pierre ave. (4th house from the river) and would always play down at the river with my friends. Most of the train tracks were removed by that time but there were rail road ties everywhere and the big locomotive turn table was still there ( at the foot of Marentette or Louis ave) and we used to play on it. I believe they began turning that land into parkland in 1994 or 1995. I also remember the pea body bridge from that area and when it was torn down. Riverside drive was closed for well over a year for that project.
Anyone out there remember the restaurant L' Auberge de La Bastille on Oulette??....... oh the memories of that place from summer 1983! ..... very romantic times with someone special!
Thanks for sharing this Mike! What a quality photo! As always I love the 'background vocals' you add to bring the video to life. Memories: city buses that were useful, Saturday morning gym & swim at the Y on Pelissier, watching Jaws at the Odeon at the Holiday Inn, seeing Lily Tomlin at the Top Hat, the big stairs in Adelman's store, the downtown stores, etc, etc, etc...
On the west side of the plywood palace was the Odeon Cinema. In '75 my friends and I waited in line over an hour on it's flimsy wood deck to see "Jaws".
Old photos have a resolution that shames computerized images....the amount of detail available when zooming in is amazing considering the massive view captured by that single photo...and nice work in finding a bunch of it.
You could have or should have mentioned the Tunnel BBQ. I liked going to that place up until the early 2000's. I was living north of Whitby back then but loved to visit my relatives in Windsor regularly.
That little two-lane tunnel between Windsor and Detroit is cute. Smallest cross-river tunnel I have ever driven through. Those chimneys weren't from heavy industry in downtown Detroit. They were probably from a power plant. Even Manhattan Island had that at the time.
Cool video…just a point of correction. The Prince’s tour of Canada would not have started upon his arrival in Newfoundland as it wasn’t a province of Canada until 1949.
