Strathcona Building

Nominated for the Peter Stokes Restoration Award: Small-Scale/Individual/Small Business for the meticulous restoration of the only building of its type in Windsor’s Walkerville neighbourhood

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The Historic Strathcona building is located at 1968 Wyandotte Street East in old Walkerville and was built for the Walkerville Land & Building Co. In 1907, the Strathcona Building on Wyandotte and Devonshire was known as “the new Walker block.”

The two-story brick building with timber-framed oriel windows is notable for its low profile, accented with decorative gables. The street entrances have cut stone surrounds. It is the only building of its type in Walkerville. The building’s architect Albert Kahn has been hailed as the architect of the modern industrial era and was responsible for many of the finer structures that remain in Walkerville, including the Walkerville Town Hall, the Bank of Commerce, the Strathcona Block, King Edward School, many of the grander private residences, and the tenement houses on Monmouth Road. His influence in Walkerville is evident and can be observed in many buildings in Windsor, Old Walkerville and Detroit.

Over the years Strathcona has experience deterioration and neglect. Due to deterioration, the building had to be stripped back down to its original structure. All of the existing brick masonry on the interior and exterior found in excellent condition was ice blasted to return the masonry to its original flare. The mortar joints throughout the exterior had become weak and brittle,  therefore repointing of the joints had to be completed. All of the limestone details and architectural arch features were completely restored to their original state. The oriel windows, structure surrounding them and original moldings had to be completely removed and replicated due the severe deterioration.

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