Willistead Manor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willistead Manor is a historic house located in the former town of Walkerville, Ontario, now Windsor, Ontario. Willistead Manor was designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn. The house was built in 1904-1906, and was commissioned by Edward Chandler Walker, the son of Hiram Walker. It is named after E.C. Walker's late brother Willis Walker, who was a lawyer in Detroit, MI, and who died young.
Contrary to popular belief, Hiram Walker never lived in the home. One of the unique features of the mansion is that it contained only one bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Walker never had any children, and the coach houses to the manor provied ample room for guests. After Edward passed on, Mrs. Walker didn't care to keep living in the big home alone, and she left the house and grounds to the town of Walkerville. When Walkerville was amalgamated with Windsor in 1935, it obtained ownership of Willistead.
In the years after its use as a residence, Willistead served as the Walkerville Town Hall,Art Gallery of Windsor. and as a public library branch. In the late 1970s early 1980s the City of Windsor, afraid of the repairs and upkeep on the mansion, wanted to demolish the structure. Preservationists stepped in and the home was saved. Today it is used as a banquet hall, and the three acre (12,000 m²) grounds are a public park.
