New murals, music planned for downtown Windsor parking garage

One of Windsor's downtown parking garages will have some new names, a new sound and a new look, city officials announced Saturday.

As part of the Strengthen the Core initiative to improve downtown, the Pelissier Street parking garage will be the site of two new murals expected to be completed next spring.

The city will also add an audio component that will play in the garage, with Windsor Symphony Orchestra members performing segments of works by four major composers: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The four levels of the parking garage will be named after the same composers.

The project was announced at a concert featuring the Windsor Symphony Orchestra held in the parking garage on Saturday night, part of a partnership between the symphony and the city.

"Parking at the Pelissier Street garage will be a symphonic experience," said Robert Franz, music director with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. "The naming of the garage levels is one of many positive initiatives that the City of Windsor is taking to recognize and advocate for the thriving arts community in the downtown core."

In a statement, the city says the "Park in Perfect Harmony" initiative will roll out in the spring.

The Strengthen The Core initiative, announced earlier this year, aims to revitalize Windsor's core while also reducing crime and making the area safer. The plan includesseven key areas of focus, including place-making and vibrant district, which aim to bring people, businesses, events and amenities to the core.

City council approved the plan in May, to the tune of $3.2 million.

The city is also calling for artists to create two new murals on the interior main level of the parking garage. The themes are expected to be released in the public call for artists, which the city will post to its website Tuesday. The murals are expected to be complete by May 2025, with a total budget of $55,000. Artists must live in the City of Windsor.

Both measures are meant to help beautify the garage, which is centrally located and used by patrons of the symphony, the Windsor International Film festival, and those attending other events at the Capitol Theatre.

"Every positive action we take builds on the one that came before it, creating an incredible momentum for downtown," said Coun. Renaldo Agostino, representing the downtown ward, in a statement.

"The revitalization of spaces like the Pelissier Street Parking Garage goes a long way towards realizing our shared vision of a thriving core packed with rich culture, engaged residents, incredible businesses, unforgettable art, and truly unique spaces."