The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) has initiated the sale of three significant properties, marking a pivotal moment for community assets in Windsor and Kingsville. The list includes the historic Windsor Stadium in Jackson Park, the former Kingsville District High School, and the former Kingsville Public School.
Properties on the Market
The school board formally announced the sale of the three properties last week. Windsor Stadium, located on McDougall Street adjacent to the Jackson Park bandshell, is a key site with deep historical roots in the city's sports and cultural life. The two Kingsville schools were closed in 2024, with students consolidated into the new kindergarten-to-Grade 12 Erie Migration District School in the same town.
Historical Significance and Current State
Windsor Stadium's fate is closely tied to the adjacent Jackson Park bandshell, a structure with a rich but faded legacy. The original grandstand was built in 1899 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and moved to Windsor in 1909. It hosted monumental Emancipation Day celebrations, including appearances by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1950s, before being destroyed by fire in 1957.
The current bandshell was erected in 1959 and was a hub for events through the 1960s and 70s. However, it has not hosted a performance in approximately 36 years and is now in a dilapidated state, raising safety concerns. Local Black and arts communities have advocated for rehabilitating the site and designating it as a monument to Windsor's Emancipation Day celebrations.
Municipal Hesitation and Future Implications
The City of Windsor's plans for the bandshell are on hold pending the stadium's sale. On May 24, the city council passed a motion to defer a feasibility study for Jackson Park until there is clarity on the stadium property's future and after public engagement.
The city has been reluctant to invest in the bandshell without control over the stadium land in front of it. This sale will determine whether the historic site can be preserved and restored as a community cultural asset or redeveloped for another purpose.
The disposal of the two Kingsville schools also represents a shift in the area's educational infrastructure, following their closure and the opening of the new consolidated school last year. The sales will provide the public school board with capital from underutilized properties while reshaping the physical landscape of these communities.
