Five old Windsor buildings up for heritage protection before Jan. 1

Five old Windsor buildings are up for heritage designation Nov. 9: All Saints' Church, J.E. Benson School, Central United Church, the Poisson House and the Hoare home. Listed properties without a notice by Jan. 1 lose protection from demolition.

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Five older Windsor buildings, including two downtown churches and a former school, are recommended for heritage designation ahead of a provincial deadline that would otherwise strip their protection on Jan. 1, 2027. The plan goes to a special meeting of the Development and Heritage Standing Committee on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 at 3 p.m.

The five buildings

All Saints' Church and rectory, 330 City Hall Square W. (Ward 3): The church was built in phases from 1855 to 1881 and the rectory in 1890.

J.E. Benson School, 1556 Wyandotte St. W. (Ward 2): Built in 1914 and opened in 1915 as the Wyandotte Street School, with an addition in 1922. It was renamed in 1937 after John Edward Benson, Windsor's inspector of public schools.

Central United Church, 628 Ouellette Ave. (Ward 3): Built starting in 1904 and completed in 1906.

Edmund C. Poisson House, 4147 Riverside Dr. E. (Ward 5): A fieldstone house built around 1919 on the Riverside Drive corridor.

Dr. C.W. Hoare Residence, 1969 Wyandotte St. E. (Ward 4): Built in 1907 in the former Town of Walkerville as the home and medical office of Dr. Charles W. Hoare, designed by Detroit architect Frederick L. Smith.

Why now

Under the Ontario Heritage Act, as changed by the province, properties that are only listed on a municipal heritage register, not designated, will be removed from the register on Jan. 1, 2027 unless the City has issued a notice of intention to designate them. Listed status protects a building from demolition in the meantime.

Staff say Windsor's register has 881 listed properties. About 132 have been identified as high-priority candidates for individual designation, and 269 are proposed for the Walkerville Heritage Conservation District.

Staff say the five in this batch face redevelopment pressure, proposed demolition or significant alteration, and may become eligible for demolition permit applications once their listed protection expires.

A deal at the Poisson House

The owner of 4147 Riverside Dr. E. submitted an engineer's assessment in July 2026 describing water infiltration, failed mortar, corroded steel lintels and cracked stonework, and recommending replacing all the fieldstone with stucco. After meetings with staff, the owner and staff reached agreement in principle: the fieldstone would be kept or put back on the publicly visible north side, the chimney, the porch and the base of the house, with a limestone-textured stucco on the rest. Staff recommend approving that in principle.

What it means for you

Designation does not freeze a building, staff say. It identifies the features that should be kept while allowing compatible changes. If Council approves, the City Clerk publishes a notice of intention to designate. Anyone can object within 30 days, and Council then decides whether to go ahead. A designation by-law can be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

The committee meets Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.