Windsor celebrates restoration of 117-year-old Walkerville building

June 24, 2024

in Canada

Reading Time: 5 mins read

The recently completed transformation of the historic Strathcona Building in Walkerville was marked by a plaque unveiling on Saturday and celebration of the building’s storied past and its renewed future.

“I think about how this building was built for the Walkerville Land and Building Company in 1907,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. “Anyone who is from Windsor has lived through the trials and tribulations in some of these buildings.”

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“The city is so delighted with the work that has been done here.”

Heidi Pfannes, president of the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation, speaks to a crowd in front of the Strathcona Building in Walkerville on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star

The Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation launched the plaque program earlier this year. It provides lifetime membership and a historic plaque to owners of verified Kahn-designed buildings.

“This has been a project that we’ve been talking about for quite some time,” said foundation president Heidi Pfannes. “So many of these buildings are lost but they have so much value and history behind them.”

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is pictured unveiling a new Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation historic bronze plaque at the Strathcona Building in Walkerville on Saturday, June 22, 2024. (WINDSOR STAR – MILLAR HOLMES-HILL) win

According to Pfannes, Kahn was responsible for a number of Windsor structures that remain standing today, including the Walkerville Town Hall, the Bank of Commerce building, the Strathcona Block, the King Edward School, and many grand private residences, with the most famous being Willistead Manor.

He also designed the entire Ford Motor Company of Canada complex in Ford City.

A historic plaque is shown outside of the Strathcona Building in Walkerville on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The historic building is the first recipient to receive a plaque from the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star

The organization launched an interactive map that locates past and current projects in Detroit and in Windsor’s Walkerville area an around the world. It allows users to create personalized tours of Kahn buildings.

The Walkerville Walking Tour can be found at albertkahnlegacy.org.

Vince Rosati, vice-president of project development for the Rosati Group, said the Strathcona had experienced years of deterioration and neglect, which required the building to be stripped down to its original structure.

“It was such an eyesore for so long,” Rosati said. “There were a lot of challenges, but it’s a labour of love.

“It was a great project and it’s great to see our city getting recognized.”

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