Doors Open Windsor highlights major restoration work at Mackenzie Hall
Windsor, Ont. is home to many historic and heritage buildings, but we often drive by and never get a peek inside.
That opportunity was offered Saturday and Sunday with Doors Open Windsor.
Residents became tourists in their own city with a chance to get a special glimpse of properties like the Duff-Baby House, the Masonic Temple and Mackenzie Hall, to name a few.
Some of these buildings have been standing for hundreds of years.
Mackenzie Hall was built in 1855 by Alexander Mackenzie, who became the second prime minister of Canada a few decades later.
City representatives say the building is a “living link between our legal past and our artistic present” as the former courthouse and jail now serves as a cultural and performing arts centre.
Major masonry work was recently undertaken to restore the building after city officials discovered the wrong type of cement was used during previous work in the 1980s.
“It was determined that the mortar that was replaced in 1985 was Portland cement and Portland cement is harder than the actual lime and sandstone that exist on the building,” says restoration project manager for the City of Windsor, Brandon Calleja.
The work took place over the last few years and is now complete.
“It's going to allow the wall to breathe and it's going to hopefully last for another century to come,” Calleja says, adding this project is one example of what the city is doing to ensure Windsor’s physical history can remain intact for residents to enjoy.
He adds, “This is probably one of the most significant buildings in the City of Windsor. Certainly one of the oldest, the second oldest in fact, so it’s great to see that there’s money being spent on preserving some of the gems that are left in Windsor.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.