Let’s go back to the days of the 1920’s. More specifically, the winter of 1923. This was the year that fire visited both the Wardrobe Hotel (which we talked about last week) and The Windsor. Both of these structures lost their battle to the flames.

The Windsor, which was located just south of The American House Hotel (current location of Neil Scott’s realty office), burned down less than two months after the Wardrobe. It was shortly after these devastating fires that new equipment was purchased and a new team of fire fighters were organized in the village.

Now You See It ~ The Windsor Hotel. The Windsor stood near the turn on Rideau and Main before it was destroyed by fire in 1923. The American House can be seen beyond it.

Now You Don’t. The lot that The Windsor had stood on was vacant for many years after the fire. It later became Bruce Bennett’s Service Station and is now home to the condominiums. This photo is from 1936.

A new and improved fire response team was organized shortly after the fires of 1923 in the hopes of keeping such destruction from happening on a large scale again in the village.