A developer has big plans for the hulking industrial building at the corner of Riverside Dr. E and Devonshire Rd. in Windsor.
The Walker Power Building has been vacant for years, but plans are in the works to turn it into "a modern day showpiece" that will include restaurants and cafes on the ground floor and professional office space.
Walker Power Building Inc. bought the building last year and plans to spend $10-million on the project.
Concept drawing courtesy of Walker Power Building Inc.
Structural engineer Piero Aleo says it'll include restaurants and cafes on the ground floor and professional office space on the upper three floors.
He says construction is already underway.
"We've done interior cleanup, including removal of all the existing flooring," he says. "The next step will be to remove the exterior windows and brick. That's going to be the next task in the next month."
The building was constructed in 1910 by the sons of Hiram Walker to meet the growing demand for industrial space in Walkerville. An addition was added three years later for a total of 8,000 sq ft of space. The design was inspired by Detroit architect Albert Khan.
Aleo says the project is expected to finish up next year.
"Right now we have a tentative date in the fall of 2018," says Aleo. "We're definitely pushing to get it done sooner than that."
