P5807

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Details

ID Number

P5807

Item Name

Image

Title

Windsor Business College and S.S. Kresge Company / Collège des affaires de Windsor et la compagnie S.S. Kresge

Title (Fre)

Collège des affaires de Windsor et la compagnie S.S. Kresge

Description

Black and white photograph of the Windsor Business College, located above the S.S. Kresge Company store at Chatham Street & Ouellette Avenue; the building is a tall, three storey brick structure with detail all along the top edge; the roof is flat and in the centre facing the camera "VICTORIA" is carved into stone at the top of the building; a sticker saying "WINDSOR BUSINESS COLLEGE" has been pasted to the photo below the stone carving; the third floor windows are rectangular and there are a number of them on the front and side; the windows on the second floor are arched (as is one in the centre on the third floor) and there are four on the front; a band around the front and side of the building states: "5-10-15-25c S.S. Kresge Co."; the front of the store has awnings partially covering the windows but merchandise is visible in these and the windows to the side of the building; there are taller buildings visible in the background behind the building; in the foreground there are street lights, a traffic signal and a street sign for Chatham and Ouellette Streets.

History

Kresge's was a popular downtown shoping location for many Windsorites. The store, located at the southwest corner of Chatham and Ouellette, opened in the early 1920s in the main floor of the Victoria Building, which had been constructed in 1923. The building was destroyed in a spectaular fire on Christmas Eve, 1945. The building was reconstructed on the same site and opened to the public on June 24, 1948. Other than the bargains to be had at Kresge's, one of the most enduring images of the store was its lunch counter, a popular congregating place for a wide cross-section of the people who were employed downtown. Kresge's closed its doors in 1991 and the building became home to the Royal Bank. The Windsor Business College was established in 1903 and was originally located in the Davis Building.

Place made

Canada - Ontario - Windsor

Collection Name

Museum Windsor

Subjects

Awnings / Auvents

Buildings / Immeubles

Chatham St. / Rue Chatham

Commercial facilities / Locaux commerciaux

Merchandise displays / Étalage de marchandises

Ouellette Ave. / Avenue Ouellette

S.S. Kresge Company Ltd.

Signs (Notices) / Avis

Street lights / Lampadaires

Traffic signs & signals / Poteaux et feux de circulations

Universities & colleges / Universités et collèges

Victoria Building / Édifice Victoria

Windsor Business College / Collège d'affaires de Windsor