The Legacy Beacon-Streetcar Project along Windsor's riverfront will officially open to the public next week.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg that there will be an official unveiling at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 24.
"You'll be able to go on the streetcar. It's a mini museum, so they've set up all the old tracks, and the story of everything is on display there," he says. "People should be really proud of this part of our history, and we're proud to have another beacon, which is one of several approved by city council."
The $10.3 million Legacy Beacon-Streetcar Project will feature Streetcar No. 351, a historic streetcar that was built in 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later purchased by the Sandwich, Windsor, and Amherstburg Railway.
The 50-foot-long, 24,000-pound streetcar was restored by RM Automotive in Chatham-Kent and will be housed inside a structure along the riverfront at the foot of Caron Avenue.
Dilkens says the riverfront is our best natural feature.
"It will be, and it is, the best place to go. Whether you live here or are bringing visitors, there's a giant patio with food service and a million-dollar view of your waterfront. You can look east; you can look west. It is really a place we can celebrate," he says.
It will be the third of five landmarks planned along the Detroit River.
Dilkens told AM800's The Morning Drive that they're proud to have another beacon.
"City council has approved naming the beacon. So we'll also unveil that, a little teaser, but we'll unveil that on April 24. There are some great connections and a great person we're naming it after; it's going to be great," he says.
The Legacy Beacon project is part of the city's 10-year capital plan that invests over $184.5 million into city parks, recreation, and facilities across the community.
Windsor was the first city in Canada to have an electric streetcar in 1886.
