county to Hiram Walker’s distillery in Walkerville, and transportation of tourist to Kingsville’s waterfront. The turntable functioned to assist steam engine trains in reversing the direction of travel upon reaching the end of the rail line.

Railroads were an important contributor to the rapid growth of the former town of Walkerville in its formative years. The discovery of the railroad turntable has direct associations with, and contributes to the understanding of the railroad history in Walkerville. Through the past century, the Walker Power Building property was strongly associated with and contributed to the industrial and manufacturing base in Walkerville. The property (both building and the archaeological resource of the turntable) is a significant remnant of the area’s history.

Contextual Value

The property is a rare survivor of early industrial properties constructed within the core areas of Walkerville, and remains as one of the few original properties to reflect the early industrial activities and economic prosperity of the former Town of Walkerville. Located on 325 Devonshire Road which was formally addressed as 22 Devonshire Road, the Walker Power Building served as a major industrial building and was located next to the railway lines, which would have been advantageous in terms of transportations of goods for manufacturing businesses. The railway turntable is also physically and historically linked to the surrounding area being the site of the end of railway lines and close to a railway station. The Walker Power Building is a long-standing and prominent landmark in Walkerville, and is highly visible being along Riverside Drive. The property is also located at the corner of Devonshire Road, which was considered the “Main Street” of the former Town of Walkerville.

Description of Heritage Attributes:

Features that contribute to the design or physical value of the Walker Power Building:

Built in c.1911-1913, presumably by architect J.E. Kinsey from Detroit for Walker Sons Ltd,

• Early local industrial example of reinforced concrete construction

• Railroad turntable feature at north west corner of the building footprint spanning within the building footprint and outside of the building footprint (original built heritage and archaeological feature)

• Reinforced concrete structural frame (Originally an exposed reinforced concrete structural frame, the 2019 work clads it with limestone to retain similar historical forms and proportions.)

• Asymmetrical massing with three bays on east end and six on the west end, with recessed bay on the south side of the building

• Five storey tower on the southwest corner of the building with additional unenclosed “sixth” storey (feature of 1912 construction)

• Otherwise generally uniform rhythm of bays on sides

• Articulated brick parapet wall

• Tripartite glazing system (The original eastern portion of the building had six over six double hung sash windows in sets of three. The western portion of the building had a similar tripartite sash, but with each third composed of 16 to 20 fixed panes, with the exception of the center panels. The center panels consist of a center pivot 6 panel casement windows. The 2019 redevelopment includes a prefinished aluminum tripartite glazing system on the majority of upper floors, thus replicating the appearance of the c.1911 glazing.)