Housing vs. heritage — worries old Windsor Arena might be bulldozed

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A historic downtown Windsor arena at risk of being demolished to make way for housing has local heritage advocates concerned about losing another significant piece of city history. 

“Mayor Drew Dilkens has said for many years that he had plans for the property that did not involve the structure,” said Tammy Dewhirst, chair of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario — Windsor-Essex branch. 

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“It was a surprise that it was opened up to expressions of interest for housing — but it’s not a surprise that the offer to demolish (the building) was put out there.”

Dilkens announced May 31 that the former Windsor Arena — also known as The Barn — was among several properties council approved for private residential development proposals as part of its Housing Solutions Made for Windsor strategy. 

“I know it’s a high-value piece of property in downtown Windsor,” Dewhirst said. “But there have been viable options over the years to restore it to a sports arena that haven’t been taken up by the city for one reason or another.” 

Windsor Arena opened in 1925 and was home to the Detroit Cougars, who later became the Detroit Red Wings, during the 1926-27 NHL season. 

The Toronto St. Pats also played their last game at the arena in 1927 — losing 5-1 to the Cougars in Windsor — before being rebranded the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

“It was a place where the people of Windsor have come together for many years,” Dewhirst said. “It was a very popular venue.” 

The Windsor Spitfires played at the arena for decades before moving to the WFCU Centre on the city’s east side in 2008. The University of Windsor Lancers and Windsor Minor Hockey Association also used the facility before it closed as a sports venue in 2013. 

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Despite the need for housing in Windsor, Dewhirst told the Star her heritage organization would like to see the historic site preserved. 

When asked about the public’s reaction to the recent announcement about turning the site into housing, Dewhirst said a lot of people have expressed disappointed. 

“I don’t think there’s any mistake that this happened in a closed-door meeting,” Dewhirst said. 

Although there’s no timeline, Mayor Drew Dilkens said the city is seeking expressions of interest from developers keen on repurposing the downtown arena property.

“Input has been positive with most sharing their excitement about the possibilities to create vibrancy in a location that has been untouched for over a decade,” Dilkens said.

“I believe that after 12 years of vacancy, this neighbourhood deserves the kind of revitalization that a new residential development will offer.”

The city does not expect proposals to include keeping the building, Dilkens said, But council would like to see some recognition of the building’s nearly 100-year-old history.

Greg Spencer, CEO of the Spencer/Butcher group of companies, submitted an unsolicited proposal to the city earlier this year detailing plans to develop the site into a sports and entertainment complex. 

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Spencer said the proposal initially called for revitalizing the venue to potentially include 3,000 seats to host Windsor Express basketball games. It also included the adjacent former Water World property. 

“If there’s something we can do with the city for housing, we will certainly entertain it and work with it,” said Spencer. “I’m hoping they will entertain turning it back into a proper facility.

“Even though it’s all housing, you do need to have amenities in the downtown core. You do need reasons to bring people downtown. We think our proposal will address those issues.” 

millarholmeshill@postmedia.com

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