I hope everyone has a safe and happy Canada Day.

While at the archives a while back looking through old Johnson-McWhinnie blueprints, this set for Ebbinghaus Electric caught my eye…

The main thing that attracted me was this crazy sign from the front. Love the lightning bolts! 1960 had much cooler signs than the last few decades ever gave us… I wondered if the place was ever built, and if it was, if it was still around. All I had to go by was a site plan that noted the location as Crawford Avenue.

So, while exploring along Crawford, sure enough, the building is still there, minus the cool sign of course.

The south elevation as drawn…

Today. A few extra windows added to the cinder block wall.

The front elevation.

A post was added to the front, likely some time later, as there is no note on the plans for one.

An interesting little building, I would love to see a photo of the sign in place. Anyone know anything about the company?

I suspect the family is still around. This list of the Past Presidents of the Windsor Electrical Contractors Association, list Robert Ebbinghaus as the president in 1969, and 1979, as well as Gregory Ebbinghaus the president in 1994 & 1995. Robert Ebbinghaus is also listed there as an honourary member.

So the TD Bank is on the way up.

After a lot of underground work the building rose above ground pretty quickly. Too bad it’s going to look like it does. Another pedestrian unfriendly glass wall, and another dead block in the core.

Reader Syl, sent in these photos of the site.

Syl also noticed the old Canada Gift Shop sign from next door has been removed, and was leaned up against a wall, before being carted away to the landfill. The sign looks to be from the 1960’s and is now gone for ever, one of the last of the old overhanging signs on Ouellette.

Thanks for sending along the photos Syl!

Don’t forget that Thursdays Live continues tomorrow night.

As well as taking place in Walkerville, don’t forget that it is also taking place in the Pillette Village BIA as well.

I was asked to pass along a message from Magpie Antiques, (disclaimer - I did their website) that they are holding a “Fabulous Vintage & Antiques Street Fair”

Taking it to the Street!

Join Magpie and Tango for our Fabulous Vintage & Antiques Street Fair!
Thursday June 25th. all day till 9:00pm (weather permitting)

Several guest vendors will line the street with fantastic vintage items at affordable prices!…Enjoy listening to great music and sipping refreshments while watching our fabulous models stroll the street in too cool vintage attire!

Selected in store items 20-50% off!

So while you’re out spreading love to our local businesses Thursday, don’t forget about the Pillette Village too.

Check it out, it could be interesting.

After only 80 years of service (most of it with obviously little maintenance) the College Avenue Bridge’s days are numbered. Built in 1927 (and crumbling for years) so that the streetcar could run west along College (then called Field Ave.) over the Michigan Central Rail Cut. It was closed by the city and is today only accessible on foot or on a bike.

Huge chunks of the bridge are crumbling away on the railings…

…and on the sidewalks.

Chain link fencing was erected, closing the sidewalks off to pedestrians, who are now routed across the roadway.

A view of the bridge over the tracks leading to the rail tunnel.

The photo above ran in the Border Cities Star, October 7, 1927:

The Span shown above crosses the Michigan Central tunnel approach at a point where Field avenue is to be cut through when the necessary formalities for taking over a number of houses now standing on the proposed street extension are completed.

The bridge is done entirely in reinforced concrete, and plans for it were drawn by the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario, the contractor being Ernest Clark.

It will carry a double track trolley line, a wide roadway and two sidewalks, and will, when the street is cut through to Wellington Avenue, afford an outlet to a rapidly developing section of Windsor lying south of Wyandotte Street and west of the M.C.R. tracks.

A great example of what happens when cities neglect infastructure.