Description of Historic Place

721 Walker Road is a two-storey semi-detached brick residence built in 1893 for Hiram Walker distillery workers. It is located on the west side of the 700 block of Walker Road in the former Town of Walkerville.

It is recognized for its heritage value by City of Windsor By-law 12397.

Heritage Value

Hiram Walker, a distiller from Detroit, founded the Town of Walkerville in 1858. By the late 1880s the Walkers were developing rental properties for the distillery's employees. The building is located on the fringe of Walkerville where the working-class employees traditionally resided. 721 Walker Road, as well as the entire row of Hiram Walker Worker Houses on the 700 block of Walker Road, is representative of the former Town of Walkerville's original streetscape.

721 Walker Road is an excellent example of the Victorian-era middle class housing built in Walkerville during the 1890s, and an integral component within the five-house grouping of Hiram Walker Worker Houses on the west side of the 700 block of Walker Road.

721 Walker Road was built in 1893 on a tract of land deeded to the Walkerville Land and Building Company by Hiram Walker on December 19, 1890. The Walkerville Land and Building Company built and leased these homes for employees of the Hiram Walker distillery. A full range of municipal services, including water, were provided for them by the Company.

721 Walker Road is the south half of a T-shaped, two-storey, semi-detached building. It is one of five identical semi-detached Hiram Walker Worker Houses located on the west side of the 700 block of Walker Road. It features red brick laid in stretcher bond, a fieldstone foundation, radiating brick voussoirs, double-hung wood sash windows and some original wooden architectural details.

Sources: Building Analysis Form, July 1995; City of Windsor By-law 12397, November 27, 1995.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of 721 Walker Road include its:
- two-storey structure
- red brick, laid in stretcher bond
- fieldstone foundation
- original ornamental fascia board and gable finial
- brick voussoirs
- pitched-roof
- double-hung, multi-paned wood sash windows
- original millwork