A big piece of Windsor's political past is almost a giant pile of debris.
Windsor's Old City Hall is in the process of being demolished just a few short metres from the shining state-of-the-art complex that replaced it. When BlackburnNewsWindsor.com visited the site on Tuesday, a little more than half the former building was still standing. Another check on Thursday showed only less than a third remaining. Giant empty spaces on each floor, where city employees, mayors and councillors worked for six decades, were visible from the parking lot on the west side of the building.
Giant pieces of wood, brick, glass and steel now make up the bulk of the site.
Preliminary demolition work had begun on Old City Hall this past winter, which involved the stripping of the interior design and the removal of asbestos. Hazardous waste was then removed before the actual tear-down process beginning almost three weeks ago, according to the city's official website.
The city's municipal government has been conducted in the same area of downtown since 1904 when the former Central High School was purchased to serve as a City Hall. The building currently being torn down opened in 1956 and was in operation until the current City Hall opened in May 2018.
The city is hoping to have the building completely knocked down by the beginning of August. Mayor Drew Dilkens said in January 2018 that once the space for Old City Hall is completely cleared, the discussion would soon begin on what kind of green space will go there.
Eleven mayors from Michael Patrick to Dilkens presided over city council meetings at the Old City Hall.
