WATCH: Legacy Beacon-Streetcar Project to also honour Windsor's former mayor

The new legacy beacon along Windsor's riverfront will honour one of the city's former leaders.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens announced that the $10.3 million Legacy Beacon project along Riverside Drive at the foot of Caron Avenue will be named the Michael D. Hurst Legacy Park, in honour of Windsor's former mayor.

At the opening of the Legacy Beacon at the foot of Caron Ave. along Windsor’s riverfront. The site will be named in honour of former Windsor Mayor Mike Hurst. ?@AM800CKLW? pic.twitter.com/9dFfO4fhU7

— Rusty Thomson (@RustyThomson800) April 24, 2025

Hurst served as mayor from 1992 to 2003, and the naming of the park is to recognize the significant role he played in the assembling, development, completion, preservation, planning, and programming of the then 4.7-kilometre uninterrupted stretch of riverfront parkland from the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. Distillery.

The beacon will be home to the restored 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 is the focal point of a display honouring the city's transportation past.

Former Windsor Mayor Mike Hurst says he couldn't help but get emotional in first hearing about this honour.

"There's no tribute like a tribute from one's own hometown. Here I am experiencing that. It's moving; it's a once in a lifetime. I'm so, so thankful," he says.

Hurst says recognizing history is an important thing because you need to know where you came from.

"If you want to head in the right direction, then you've got to understand where you came from. That will point you in the right direction," he says. "All in all, I'm very happy, very pleased, and very thankful that we have another addition to the gorgeous riverfront in Windsor, Ontario, Canada."

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says this journey started back in 2017 to get us here now.

"Seeing the streetcar is beautiful, but the whole beacon is so much more than that," he says. "It's a 10,000-square-foot patio with food service, beverage service, and restrooms. This is the best place in the city of Windsor for the public to come out and enjoy their million-dollar waterfront. I think they're going to love it."

Dilkens says this is a chance to celebrate Mike Hurst's contribution to the waterfront we enjoy today.

"Mike did a lot of work that went unappreciated as mayor of the City of Windsor. He was mayor for 12 years during a very difficult period of time," he says. "Mike should be credited for being the mayor who finally put the remaining piece of the waterfront together. He allowed us to actually connect, in an uninterrupted way, the waterfront from the Ambassador Bridge to Hiram Walker."

Along with the streetcar building, the site will have a pavilion, a 10,000-square-foot patio with full food and bar service, and washrooms.

Windsor was the first city in Canada to have an electric streetcar in 1886.

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.

It will be the third of five landmarks planned along the Detroit River.Opening weekend programming takes place from Thursday, April 24, through Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the Legacy Beacon, 780 Riverside Drive West, and includes the following:

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily: Museum Windsor staff on site for informative tours of Streetcar No. 351 and the historical exhibition, info, souvenirs, and crafts

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily: concession vendor and patio open for business

5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily: self-guided tours of Streetcar No. 351, live music from local entertainers.

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: family entertainment concerts for all ages.