A Walkerville landmark is getting a slow, but sure makeover.
Aleo Associates Inc., the construction firm behind the transformation of the old Walker Power Building on Riverside Dr. E. and Devonshire Rd., provided an update Monday on the ongoing work. Ward 4 councillor Chris Holt was also on hand, using the project as a backdrop to announce his re-election campaign.
The building was built in 1910 by the sons of American industrialist Hiram Walker, as a power station for the old town of Walkerville. It was declared unsafe by the city of Windsor and has been sitting vacant since 2001.
Piero Aleo, the structural engineer behind the project, says the building's initial design provided some challenges.
"We found that things weren't aligned as well as we thought, so there was a lot of cutting, massaging and grinding to make all the windows line up horizontally and vertically," says Aleo. "We found that the building was all over the place in terms of its alignment and elevations."
The alignment issues mean that the timeline for the project is now extended. Aleo says they hope to complete the outer envelope by the end of this year and have the structure ready for occupancy by June 2019.
Despite that, Aleo says the project is moving forward, and they are pleased with the cooperation they are getting from the city. In May, Council's Planning, Heritage and Economic Development Committee recommended a $25,000 brownfield grant to help with the environmental evaluation and cleanup. That is still up for approval by the entire council.
Aleo says there are big plans for the interior once it's ready for occupancy.
"It's going to be predominantly an office building," says Aleo. "It's going to be wide open office spaces with a lot of natural light. We're hoping for a lot of restaurants on the ground floor. We think it's going to be a great destination for Walkerville. We have a few lined up already."
There is also discussion of adding another floor to the four-storey structure and allowing event space as well.
The project is expected to cost around $10-million.
