New School Design Planned For International Playing Card Company Building

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After their request to demolish the former International Playing Card Company building on Mercer was denied in 2016, the Greater Essex County District School Board has a new plan to save some of the heritage listed building, and build a new Giles Campus French Immersion school.

After months of looking at their options for the school board now plans to save some of the building and have submitted a heritage alteration permit application to the City of Windsor.

The request is to approve a heritage alteration permit for “deconstruction/reconstruction” of the east wall facing Mercer Street, as well as the north and south walls.

Their proposal says that the walls will be disassembled with the pieces catalogued and stored, then reassembled. A substantial number of new bricks and cast concrete pieces will be used to replace severely deteriorated parts and to replace inappropriate bricks used in previous repairs.

In addition, the bricks now infilling most of the windows will be replaced with window units similar in dimension and style to the original large casement windows.

A new main entry will be installed in a bay on the east side instead of a window set and will include a glass canopy.

A new “kindergarten entry” will fill one bay on the south side, and a new two-story addition will be built on the McDougall Street side of the property.

They also plan to demolish the houses on adjacent parcels facing Giles Boulevard East, and pave that area for bus and car driveways and parking.

The plan has received administration approval and will go to the Planning Heritage and Economic Development Standing Committee on November 24th and to City Council following that.