Councillors all lauded the university for its past record of renovating old buildings, including turning the former Windsor Star building into the School of Social Work and making the former Windsor Armouries into the School of Creative Arts.
“But what we have here is page upon page upon page of the significance of this,” Ward 4 Coun. Chris Holt said as he urged designation to protect the home, formerly owned by the United Church. “To demolish a piece of our history and cultural heritage for a parkette is just wrong.”
Judge Macdonald was Canada’s chief war crimes prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. He was also the first City of Windsor solicitor, helping to forge the amalgamation of Windsor, Sandwich, East Windsor and Walkerville in 1935. During the war, he became a lieutenant-colonel and was commanding officer of the Essex Scottish Regiment during the invasion of Normandy.
After the war, he became a Crown attorney and tackled the formidable task of cleaning up the city’s corrupt police force. He became a judge in 1961, living on a street that became known as Judge’s Row.
But Coun. Elliott said while the building may look very distinguished from the outside, its wood and stucco construction means it’s in poor shape. Years of neglect have left the building a hollow shell, councillors were told.
“I have a lot of respect for the university and all the heritage buildings they’ve kept,” Elliott said. “I don’t think they’re in the business of just tearing them down.”