Photo Du JourWindsor

O’Shea Pool House – Photo Du Jour – October 19, 2005

Located on Riverside Dr. in Windsor, next to the RCMP station is this small soon to be demolished home. As the story goes, this was the pool house to the summer “cottage” next door. The O’Shea’s came from money, being the second generation heir’s to the family fortune, that was made in the early days of the automobile. The story isn’t too clear, but the ancestors made their fortune in Windshield Wipers or Defrosters. The pool house was orignally open air, and built some time around 1940. The mansion next door was demolished sometime in the 1950’s.

I was kindly given access to document the home prior to its demolition.

The front of the house as seen from Riverside Dr.

The entrace to what was the changing areas.

The orignal front door. It will be salvaged and reused.

The rear of the house facing the river. At one time a massive chimney rose from the rear. It was knocked out and replaced by a picture window sometime in the 1990’s.

The interior hall. The rectangular bumps on the floor cover what used to be the pool. An unsympathectic remodel has also added bedrooms over the pool area.

Tudor details and stone columns are visible along the sides. At one time these were open to the outside.

More Tudor details, this was the wall between the fireplace and the pool area.

The window that replaced the fireplace offers a panoramic view of Belle Isle. It’s hard to see but the hearth is still in the floor infront of the middle window.

Into the bowels… The pool filtering machinery is all still in the basement.

Finally a crawlspace hatch in one of the makeshift bedrooms leads down into the pool area. This photo was taken from the deep end.

The O’Shea pool house is scheduled for demolition in early November.

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