The welcome mat has been outside the door of Windsor’s historic Medical Arts Building since last summer, and on Wednesday, June 18, the beautifully renovated building will be officially opened.  Media are welcome to join the invitation-only event which gets underway at 6:00 p.m., with remarks at 6:20.  Tours of the building will follow.  
 
Located at 1011 Ouellette Avenue, the Medical Arts Building provides a home for medical residents and learners doing a rotation in Windsor hospitals, while undertaking postgraduate training with Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
 
The building’s owner and developer, Ray Redekopp has restored the 83-year-old building to its art deco glory on the outside, with modern amenities like a gym and spa, and beautiful living spaces geared to both singles and families, on the inside.  Schulich Medicine & Dentistry has a long term lease to provide this boutique-hotel style accommodation for up to 23 learners at any given time.  The residents usually stay for a period of one to three months.
 
Before, residents stayed in some older homes across from Windsor Regional Hospital, but these were dated and not suitable for residents with a partner or families as they had to share common areas (bathroom, kitchen, living room) with other residents.  The Medical Arts Building has three two-bedroom units and one three-bedroom suite, perfect for families.
  
The dean of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Dr. Michael Strong says, “Offering prime accommodations for our postgraduate learners while they’re in Windsor is just one more way in which Schulich Medicine & Dentistry continues to improve its distributed education experience. It’s also consistent with the city’s broader recruitment strategy of encouraging medical students to enjoy their time in Windsor and Essex County, and to envision their lives if they were to set up practice here.”
 
“The reaction of our learners who have stayed in the Medical Arts Building is overwhelmingly positive.  They love this place,” says Gerry Cooper, associate dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry –Windsor Program.
 
Cooper also praised the School’s partnership with Redekopp, calling it a win-win situation.  “He gets a good long-term tenant, and is doing something good for the community, while respecting the building’s medical heritage. And we have an opportunity to do something positive for our learners that we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”
 
“We originally purchased the building because of its heritage and architectural influences; however, we struggled with the right use for the building,” says Redekopp.  “Through friends and mutual acquaintances, we were introduced to the concept of the having all of the residences under one roof.  This is the perfect fit and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and the Windsor Regional Hospital.”
 
The building, designed by J.R. Sculland, was the birthplace of the Windsor Medical Plan which was the forerunner of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
 
Media contact:  Kathy Wallis, Media Relations Officer, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, 519-661-2111 ext. 81136, cell: 519-777-1573 Kathy.wallis@schulich.uwo.ca
 
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