Roundhouse Centre
Encyclopedia
The Roundhouse Center is a shopping plaza located across the street from Devonshire Mall
in Windsor
, Ontario
, Canada
.
The plaza has a number of shops including a Toys R Us, Penningtons
women's plus size clothing store, a McDonalds, an Outback Steakhouse
, HSBC Bank Canada
bank and office (formerly a Krispy Kreme
), a LCBO, Shoppers Drug Mart
, Bonnie Togs , Windsor Eye Care, Sally Beauty, Sunstters Tanning Studio, Labels, Blinds to Go and Henry's Camera shop
. The plaza's address is 3155 Howard Avenue.
, turnaround
, and roundhouse
for locomotives. When CN
decided to move to a more centralized and downtown
location (now the Via Rail
Windsor station located at modern-day Walker Road
and Riverside Drive
, next to the Canadian Club
and Hiram Walker
Distillery
), they sold the Roundhouse Centre to local businesses, who turned it into a shopping plaza.
CN owns (and uses) both the Via Rail line and the Van De Water rail yard
and rail line that travels behind the Roundhouse Centre to this day, however.
This plaza was never ever a train station. The roundhouse serviced the Michigan Central Railroad
, then New York Central Railroad
then Penn Central and finally the Canadian National Railway
. It included a bunkhouse
for out-of-towner train crews. The CN train station was downtown at the foot of Goyeau until a new station was constructed at Walker Road in 1969.
Devonshire Mall
Devonshire Mall is a shopping center located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The mall has Zellers, The Bay, Sears, and other stores, totaling over 200. The mall currently occupies over 1 million square feet in retail space, and it dominates the retail landscape in Windsor and the lower southern...
in Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The plaza has a number of shops including a Toys R Us, Penningtons
Penningtons
Penningtons is a Canadian store that specializes in "plus-size" womens' clothing, with locations across Canada in all ten provinces. Penningtons is part of the Reitmans Limited Company, also affiliated with RW&CO, Cassis, Addition Elle, Thyme Maternity and Smart Set. There are over 950 stores...
women's plus size clothing store, a McDonalds, an Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
, HSBC Bank Canada
HSBC Bank Canada
HSBC Bank Canada, formerly the Hongkong Bank of Canada , is a bank in Canada that is part of British banking giant HSBC - one of the largest banking groups in the world. HSBC Canada is the seventh largest bank in Canada, with offices in every province except Prince Edward Island, and is the...
bank and office (formerly a Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is the name of an international chain of doughnut stores that was founded by Vernon Rudolph in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The parent company of Krispy Kreme is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc...
), a LCBO, Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
, Bonnie Togs , Windsor Eye Care, Sally Beauty, Sunstters Tanning Studio, Labels, Blinds to Go and Henry's Camera shop
Henry's
Henry's is a Canadian company that sells a variety of photography and technology based products.- History :The company was founded by Harry Stein in 1909 as a jewellery store in Toronto. Over the years it entered the used jewellery and used photography market, then eventually came to focus...
. The plaza's address is 3155 Howard Avenue.
History
Until the 1970s, this plaza was used as a train stationTrain station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
, turnaround
Turnaround
Turnaround may refer to:* Turnaround , a type of traffic junction* Turnaround, in aviation maintenance, the process of or time needed for loading, unloading, and servicing an aircraft...
, and roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
for locomotives. When CN
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
decided to move to a more centralized and downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
location (now the Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
Windsor station located at modern-day Walker Road
Walker Road
Walker Road was one of the busiest roads in Windsor, Ontario before the road closure. It has an average annual daily traffic level of 32,000 cars per day at the CP Rail crossing.- History :The road is named after Hiram Walker, distillery baron...
and Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive
A number of cities around the world have a Riverside Drive.In the United States:*Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive...
, next to the Canadian Club
Canadian Club
Canadian Club is a brand of whisky from Canada. Popularly known as C.C., Canadian Club began production in 1858. It was established by Hiram Walker, and was known as Walker’s Club Whiskey. The brand is now produced by Beam Inc..-History:...
and Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...
Distillery
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
), they sold the Roundhouse Centre to local businesses, who turned it into a shopping plaza.
CN owns (and uses) both the Via Rail line and the Van De Water rail yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
and rail line that travels behind the Roundhouse Centre to this day, however.
This plaza was never ever a train station. The roundhouse serviced the Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
, then New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
then Penn Central and finally the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
. It included a bunkhouse
Bunkhouse
A bunkhouse is a hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy...
for out-of-towner train crews. The CN train station was downtown at the foot of Goyeau until a new station was constructed at Walker Road in 1969.