Museum Windsor

The important heritage of Windsor and Essex County has been interpreted for many years in the very small Francois Baby House in downtown Windsor. Lord Cultural Resources was engaged in 2011 to develop an implementable and sustainable plan for the expansion of the museum to provide a larger space for exhibitions, public programs, collections storage and other space needs. The main recommendation of our study was that the new Windsor Museum be located on the ground floor of the Art Gallery of Windsor building to be shared with the Art Gallery of Windsor.

As part of the $5.7 million expansion project, Windsor's Community Museum has rebranded to reflect its expanded scope. Museum Windsor is now a unique entity that tells the dynamic story of the city across three sites — the François Baby House, the Chimczuk Museum and the Interpretive Centre at the Duff-Baby House in Sandwich. Together, they provide an integrated experience of Windsor's history, diversity, and evolving role as a border city.

On February 18, 2016, the City of Windsor's new Chimczuk Museum officially opened at 401 Riverside Drive, sharing a building with the Art Gallery of Windsor. The expansion of the Windsor Community Museum presented an opportunity for the adaptive reuse of the building to house both a museum and an art gallery and for retention and reinterpretation of the historic François Baby House — creating a "culture core" in downtown Windsor and providing a revitalized visitor experience.