Ontario, Canada Recollections

Recollections (1990s, Early 2000s)

I remember going to the now-demolished Adstoll Arena at 4735 Adstoll Ave., in Windsor, Ontario a few times during the 1990s and early 2000s.

The main entrance was on the north side, along Adstoll Ave., although I don’t remember anything about the lobby itself.

The rink area had an approximately four-storey-high gable roof, with the ridge running north-south, and it appeared to be supported by large glulam-like rafters. I recall it looking quite similar in the interior to the original (north) rink at South Windsor Arena (Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex).

There were perhaps five or so rows of stepped bench seating for spectators along the west side.

The dressing rooms were along the east side, along with the hockey benches. The backs of the hockey benches might not have been enclosed, or if they were, it was minimal.

The ice resurfacer would access the ice via the south end of the rink.

In general, it was one of the smaller and simpler arenas in the region.

Other Information

The rink or arena seemed to be referred to by various names, including “Adstoll Park Skating Rink”, “Adstoll Park Arena”, and “Adstoll Arena”.

The Canada’s Centennial Windsor Reports 1966 1967 publication mentions the “Adstoll Park Skating Rink” and includes a sketch of what appears to be the entrance/lobby structure at the north end of Adstoll Arena, although the enclosed arena structure to the south isn’t depicted. It describes the “ice and roller skating” surface as being “85' by 200'”.

There are references to “Adstoll Park Skating Rink” in various Windsor, Ontario directories, including (but not limited to):

• Might’s 1968 Metropolitan Windsor City Directory; Might Directories Limited; pink pg. 3 mentions “ADSTOLL PARK SKATING RINK”.
• Might’s Metropolitan Windsor City Directory 1975; Might Directories; pg. 5 lists “Larry Meyer” as the manager of the “Adstoll Park Skating Rink”. He is listed in subsequent years, as well.
• Might’s Metropolitan Windsor City Directory 1979; Might Directories; pg. 234 lists “Timothy G Ferrigan” as a rink attendant at “Adstoll Park Skating Rink”.
• 1988 Windsor Ontario City Directory; Might Directories; pg. 6 still lists “Larry Meyer” as the manager of the “Adstoll Park Skating Rink”.

Windsor Civic Hockey League games were apparently held there in 1974.

There are advertisements for the arena hosting provincial election advance polls in 1990 and 1997.

The Essential Service Hockey League (ESHL) apparently played its inaugural 1991 season at Adstoll Arena.

There are some archived City of Windsor webpages mentioning Adstoll Arena, such as:

• Arenas webpage (1997-02-11): “Mike Erina” is listed as the contact.
• Arenas webpage (2004-06-07)
• Public skating webpage (2004-06-07)
• Adstoll Arena webpage (2007-10-18)

There are some articles about the sale of the property, or that mention the arena:

• “Parks and rec to seek building sales permission” (2009-10-01)
• “For sale, again: Adstoll Arena” (2012-01-13)
• “Facebook Group Hopes to Save Adstoll Arena” (2012-01-28)
• “Adstoll Park purchase part of arena demolition deal” (2013-06-03)
• “Fond memories of Adstoll and Riverside arenas” (2013-06-06)
• “Vander Doelen: Windsor housing deep freeze ending” (2015-03-02)
• “Jarvis: "I can't tell you how inspiring it is"” (2017-06-23)

There are some photos and videos showing the arena before, during, or after its demolition:

• Photo taken from Adstoll Ave., looking south-east at the north side of Adstoll Arena. The building is surrounded by fencing prior to its demolition.
• “PHOTOS: Demolition Starts At Adstoll Arena” (2014-10-07): Some photos during the earlier stages of demolition. Some of the photos seem to be of the south end of the arena.
• “Adstoll Arena Is No More” (2014-10-11): Various photos showing most of the structure as being demolished. Some of the photos show Rudak Excavating Inc. signs affixed to the fencing.
• Various images of the arena’s demolition. (2014-10-13)
• Various images before, during, and after the arena’s demolition. (2014-11-27). Includes some interior photos at 2:36 and 2:42.
• Various images before, during, and after the arena’s demolition. (2015-10-07). Includes some interior photos at 3:04 and 3:10. Also includes some images of the subsequent subdivision redevelopment project.

The Windsor Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) website included “Adstoll Park Arena” in its list of Windsor-area arenas, and there was a webpage specific to the arena.

The obituary for Garrison “Gary” Stannard (1936-2012) mentions Adstoll Arena.

“Former location of Adstoll Arena and Park (Windsor, Ontario)” suggests some dates relating to the establishment of the park and arena.

The arena is visible in the Google Street View imagery taken from Adstoll Ave. dated July 2009, April 2012, and May 2014. The homes built as part of the redevelopment are visible in the January 2021 and later imagery.