Walker Power Building sells quickly

The Walker Power Building, one of Windsor's most iconic buildings — equal parts ugly and beautiful — has been sold, the real estate agent representing the seller tells CBC Windsor.

The building is off the market as of today, says real estate agent Barbara Oczachowski.

Its listing has been removed from the Remax website and Oczachowski says the new owner is scheduled to sign the deal today. It's not yet clear whether there are conditions on the sale.

Rosemary Howe sold the property. She took over the building when her husband died.

Covered in climbing ivy and often the site of wedding photos during the summer, the building was once used by Hiram Walker's whiskey operation in the area.

The 60,000-square-foot, red-brick building at 325 Devonshire Rd., south of Riverside Drive E. and just west of Walker Road, faces the Detroit River.

The building is wedged between what used to be two railway sidings. The most recent asking price was $895,000.

The building is on the city's heritage registry, which means the new owner can't tear the building down without council approval, but it can be renovated.

City of Windsor heritage planner John Calhoun doesn't believe it was ever used to generate power but rather housed the offices of Hiram Walker's power department.

Some fast facts about the building:

• Built in 1911.
• Originally part of Hiram Walker Co.
• Designed by Detroit architect J.E. Kinsey.
• 60,000 square feet.

Greg Atkinson, senior planner with the City of Windsor, says the building does present challenges to any new owner.

"The property is essentially the footprint of the building. So, there wouldn't be space for parking. There could be issues that need to be cleaned up from environmental standpoint. It's also zoned industrial."

Atkinson figures it will need to be rezoned as mixed use.

"That's usually a solution for a lot of buildings that need re-using," he said. "Some sort of mixed building really adds a lot of vibrancy to the site and surrounding community because it's active during a lot of different times of the day."