Riverfront revamp: Windsor's historic streetcar and Detroit's massive multi-use park

Bob Becken · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

While the narration betwixt Canada and the U.S., is strained connected galore fronts, Windsor and Detroit's shared riverfront remains a certainty.

The geography betwixt the cities is undeniable and some municipalities are seeing caller reasonably important landmarks popular up along the river's banks.

Thursday marks the authoritative opening of Windsor's Legacy Beacon disconnected Riverside Drive West near Caron Avenue. Work has been underway since the commencement of the summertime successful 2023.

It's believed the historical streetcar No. 351 was built successful Ohio successful 1918 and aboriginal purchased by the Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway successful 1926. It's 15 metres agelong and astir 11,000 kilograms.

The outgo of the task has risen steadily since assembly gave it the go-ahead successful 2017 — coming successful astatine $10.3 million. It volition see spots to devour and drink, and a patio overlooking the river. Back successful 2020, metropolis assembly greenlit a fund of $7 cardinal for the project, past called the Celestial Beacon.

"This streetcar is simply a relic from Windsor's past — 1 of those unsocial artifacts that is important due to the fact that it is genuinely authentic to the metropolis of Windsor's history," said Mayor Drew Dilkens.

WATCH | Streetcar No. 351 preview from Enwin Utilities:

He said erstwhile the metropolis discussions archetypal occurred astir what could beryllium done with the streetcar it wasn't wide what they were going to do.

"But I knew we had to bash something," helium said.

"It was important to find a caller beingness for the streetcar, and to constitute a caller section for it successful our community."

Thursday morning's unveiling volition beryllium followed by guided tours and an onsite humanities exhibition, according to the city. Tours volition proceed done Sunday arsenic good arsenic unrecorded entertainment.

Detroit waterfront tract reimagined

Detroit's Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park task has besides been years successful the making.

The nine hectares of onshore sit along the riverfront betwixt the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit's downtown. It connects the eastbound riverfront to the westbound riverfront. 

The Detroit River Conservancy purchased the spot successful 2007 and operation started successful 2022 with an authoritative groundbreaking.

A scenery designer for the task says a cardinal absorption passim the plan process was for the parkland to exemplify a beardown transportation to the stream and its uniqueness to southeast Michigan and Ontario.

"We wanted to make a plan that took vantage of the agelong views up and down the stream arsenic good arsenic across," said Nate Trevethan from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.

"If you were a kid increasing up successful the portion and you didn't person the quality to get to immoderate of the … outer parts of the Great Lakes, you could person an acquisition of the Great Lakes close wrong your city."

Trevethan says young kids and teenagers were besides kept apical of caput erstwhile they were designing and consulting with the community.

The parkland is astir divided into antithetic areas.

One is simply a play plot highlighting animals from the portion specified arsenic bears, otters and beavers.

Another country successful the parkland is simply a sports installation including 2 hoops courts.

"It's  covered but it doesn't person walls," said Trevethan.

The different cardinal parts of the parkland are a h2o plot and downriver ample elevation — a spot to sled successful the wintertime but thing that tin beryllium utilized successful each 4 seasons, helium said.

Knitting each of those areas unneurotic is simply a "serpentine cherry histrion walk."

"Typically the waterfront borderline successful Detroit is … benignant of hard and linear and we were trying to bash thing antithetic that volition benignant of assistance you to acquisition the parkland successful a caller mode and the water's borderline successful a caller way."

Trevethan says a quality astir radical from the portion volition announcement close distant is the removal of the factual bulkhead on the magnitude of the park.

"That was beauteous intentional, some for conscionable making a much earthy shoreline to the river, but besides for maintenance."

He said looking crossed the h2o from Windsor, you'll besides rapidly announcement ample carnal statues peering implicit the scenery and the topography of the land.