It Happened in Windsor - Coronation Tavern (Cornation Tavens)

One of Windsor's most colourful "Dive Bars" The Coronation Tavern is legendary in some circles for the roll it played in the Detroit Punk Rock music scene in the early 1980's.
The bar was made infamous, by a glaring typo on its exterior sign.

[@hambone11]

Thank you for the memories of my aunt Stella. I lived with her when I was 11 and then again when I was 18, right after my mom died. She was so good to me.

[@MikeEvansWindsor]

I am happy that you found this video!

[@marvinmarcotte5554]

My dad used to clean the bar. He used to bring my brother and I with him sometimes. Stella used to meet us at the front door with a big handgun. Lol. At Christmas she used to drop by with presents for us she would be all dressed up. I remember the dog because Stella would throw a frozen chicken across the floor and the dog would play with it all day.

[@debbie5859]

I live on Curry for 28 years by the Coronation Tavern. My uncle and I watched the man paint the sign on the side of the building when we notice him spelling Tavern wrong. He was climbing up and down the ladder so much we didn't have the heart to tell him he spelled it wrong. The Coronation was never a dull moment and especially when the bikers were there, it was quite scary. Many memories of that place and Stella was a sweet woman, always let us play baseball in her parking lot, but I heard many took advantage of her. I got the pictures you have on your video plus a couple more. I also heard after the fire they had to keep an existing wall of the burnt out building so the can continue to keep it as a commercial property so they had to build around that wall. That one black and white picture you have of the side of the Coronation, that car parked there was my cousins.

[@MikeEvansWindsor]

Thank you for sharing Debbie. Do you have any photos of the bar from those days?

[@debbie5859]

@@MikeEvansWindsor I have two pictures of the back, one isn't that good but you can make it out and the other one was better of my friends with the Coronation in the background. But that's about it. The one picture you have of the side of the Coronation, I have that picture but I have none of the inside of the hotel, love to have a picture of that, my brother and I use to clean up the bar for a short time.

[@GeneFever]

The Core! I saw some great bands there DOA, Subhumans, Dry Heaves maybe The Enemies cant remember...was buddies with the guitarist of the Sonic Boom Band you had pics of in the video. The drummer was only like 15yrs old at the time lol great times. Thanks for this blast of the past video, another great spot to cover would be the Radio Tavern downtown good times there.

[@detroithardcoremovie8864]

Fantastic sleuth work Mike! Great piece of secret local history. And thanks again for helping out with "Dope, Hookers and Pavement: The Real and Imagined History of Detroit Hardcore"

[@malcolmcampbell870]

Great tale. I moved to Sandwich in November of 1979 and departed in February of 1987, so this pic must have been some time between the summers of 1980 and 1986.

[@Ruminator]

This is fantastic. I was part of the punk scene from a little later where most shows were held at the old Acapulco Delight. I'd love to see someone do some work on that scene with bands like The Posers, the Lager Lads, etc.

[@mysterydirt]

This is excellent, Michael, thank you very much for doing it! I think I only knew two of Stella's Brucies, and they were both boxers. And thank you Malcolm!

[@bpacheco6]

I wish I was born before 1988, I take photos of everything and I would have documented so much crap that is gone forever now....love this video thank you! I will have to check out those bands

[@notlimey]

Don't worry, stuff you take pics of now will be gone someday ....

[@user-xc3vy3gt8y]

Saw many punk bands there. DOA was just one (that I can remember).

[@cohoegravitino5559]

The one thing I do recall distinctly is the ghostly rays of Bruce ghosts peeking out of Stella's blouse, on security camera footage, and swirling in urinals....Brucie ghosts galore...everywhere

[@Uzzy66]

What a great video! I have a box full of my old After Hours... 🤔 The entertainment magazine from the Windsor Star. Mine are from the late '90s.

[@elainestevenson]

I visited there in the early 60's. Don Price was the piano man who kept folks singing - it was a great visit. We went back again but there was a terrible fight between 2 females - it was enough to keep us away. Not sure when Don quit.

[@PaulLangan]

SO i guess it was around 1982 I moved back to Windsor just as the punk wave was on the decline, or was it? I was given a goalie mask and and a 3 string bass guitar to play with Olrac and the Cheesecakes. Stella put a case of beer in front of the stage and the rest is history...........

[@jamesn5595]

Fireball XL5!!!

[@robg8784]

Thank you for this gem!

[@seasonschange4337]

Great history of Windsor.

[@andrewbarlow665]

Dont forget the Dry Heaves, as in several your photos the Local punk forefathers.

[@peters5333]

Mike Hillis

[@cree8vision]

I saw a band from London ON there called Crash 80's who were fairly popular.

[@francescamaniaci2744]

Love it!❤

[@brandenlunansky6537]

Awesome 🤟

[@kumaonbass]

Also, one wall survived the fire . The new owners found out the zoning would not allow it to be torn down. They rebuilt it using the one original wall. Look at the pictures and you will see the new building is the same original shape.

[@MikeEvansWindsor]

The East wall where the misspelled sign was? That is awesome. Thank you for sharing!

[@peters5333]

3:48 note Windsor made Cordoba. or was it a Dodge Magnum with a 318...or 343. did it have Corinthian leather?

[@ronnyber]

Spent far too many nights at the Core

[@sharonfox8281]

Early seventies and my parents were there with my aunts and Uncle's having a few beers. The bikers came in and started fighting themselves and the patrons. They grabbed my dad, gave him a beat down and knocked out 3 teeth. The next day he went to confront Stella the owner for not calling the police and watching it all happen. She paid for his full dental bill. True story.

[@MikeEvansWindsor]

Wild! Thank you for sharing Sharon.

[@debbie5859]

She was scared of the bikers, we watched them take her pool table out of the back door leading to the parking lot , she knew they took it but too afraid to call the police. Sitting on our porch we watch the bikers just beat this young man so bad, his hair was floating down the street. It was so nice and quiet when they stopped coming. That must of been awful for your father.

[@oldschooldodge1]

the car has the smaller chrome grill surround which would make it a charger not a Cordoba

[@MikeEvansWindsor]

Thanks 😊.

[@wientz]

Corinthian leather would be the clincher!

[@kumaonbass]

Anyone remember the night Stella through a brick through the front door?

[@rmcrae62]

Frequented the bar in its punk phase. IIRC you could only get labatts blue or Molson Canadian. I always felt sorry for Bruce, Stella always seemed to be yelling at him.

[@debbie5859]

Her last Bruce was vicious he attacked every dog, thought it was going to kill my dog. The Bruce's she had before that were sweethearts