At Shawn’s request in yesterday’s comments, today’s photos will show the Windsor Club. While not terribly exciting, the club’s history is a long one. Most people don’t get regular invites to the 14th floor, so Doors Open provided a rare chance to get up and check out the exclusive club.
The Windsor Club was founded in 1903, setting up shop in what is now Jason’s. The house originally sat on the corner of Ouelltte and Chatham, and when the Bank of Montreal wanted to build a new bank on the site, theVital Ouelltte house was sold to the Windsor Club, and moved one lot east, to where it sits today.
It was according to the the Newspaper article at the time, the first brick building moved in Windsor.
Since then the club has had a few different homes over the years, I believe that they lost the house during the Depression. It looks like they occupied their current space since 1994.
Membership isn’t cheap, there is an initiation fee of $1,250.00; annual dues of $1,200.00; a yearly capital levy of $240.00 and a minimum spending of $200.00 in the club on food/drink.
According to their literature, the club features 180 dregee views of the city and the river
With 105 years of history under its belt, the Windsor Club is certainly a big part of Windsor’s history. A big thank you goes out to Agnes and the rest of the club for participating in Doors Open 2008.
One of the ladies there told me they had been at that location since 84′
Rich, that’s probably right. The brochure I picked up on Sunday said 1994, but I didn’t think that was right. I’m pretty sure I would remember if the club had moved there in 1994. 1984 makes more sense to me.
During the 70s the club was located on an upper floor in the Bartlet Building on the northeast ofUniversity Avenue West at Pelissier Street. The club moved from there in 1987 according to a note about its history on this webpage.
http://www.windsorclub.com/traditions.htm#Scene_1
Great, thanks!
The inside is what I feared it would be (and why I hoped you would post some pics) — dreadful interior design. Those window treatments and the parachutes hanging from the ceiling. Throw everything out the window and do it new, minimal and focus on the view.
The Bartlet building is one of W’s finest — the top floor has massive windows, if i recall.
I’ve often wondered what the Windsor Club looked like inside. Honestly, other than the great view it’s pretty disapointing. Thanks for the pics though.
Very dated interiors!!! Much like the membership I imagine…. Old style, old ideas, old vision… just plain tired lookin…. Yep, that sounds like the big shots on the 14th floor that make decisions in Windsor…
Big shots? Doubt it. The big shots are at the private golf clubs or whatever’s close to Russell Woods. I’m guessing it’s mostly lawyers here, as if Windsor doesn’t have enough of them already.
Andrew- did you get my email on the weekend about John Campbell? I have pics as I went through there on Saturday even though the demolition has begun.
Colin I did… Check your email, sorry for the late reply.
That’s an interesting question, who makes up the club’s membership? Windsor’s aristocracy is pretty small, but obviously there are enough people to keep this place alive (sadly not enough press to keep The Press Club alive — if only it would have lasted until blogs exploded).
My feeling is it’s a lot of petite bourgeoisie.
But Russel Woods? My experience there is there are a lot of school teachers and autoworkers. Not big shots. And that, IMHO, is one of the great things about Windsor.
The interior actually reminds me a lot of Maxwells-On-The-River, the waterfront restaurant in the gone but not forgotten, much-maligned, unloved Holiday Inn.
Shawn, it also depends where in Russell Woods. I would guess the waterfront properties in Russell Woods are where the big shots live. I’m also guessig the big shots live along that stretch facing the River along Riverside Dr going the direction of Russell Woods from a little past Sandpoint. Just drive down it sometime. Once you get out of the city of Windsor, they get a lot pricier. They’ve got houses starting at a few milion a piece. The waterfront properties in Russell Woods like the Admiral’s house are like 10 million dollar houses. I remember several months ago reading in the Star how someone with a Riverside Dr. home set a record and bought a $20 million winter home in Arizona. Sounds like a big shot to me. I doubt you’d see a lot of big shots in Windsor when property taxes are so much less in the outskirts.
David – That someone was BarryZekelman. He recently sold his company for a little more than 1 billion dollar. A $20 million winter home in AZ is chump change.
Besides, eveyone know’s the REAL money and influence is behind the stucco garages of Southwood Lakes 😉
Perhaps this information will shed light on the haunts of Windsor’s elites. The initiation fee to join the Windsor Club is $1,250. The initiation fee for Beech Grove is $18,500. and for Essex Golf and County $26,500 Monthly dues are: Windsor Club $100. Beech Grove $307, Essex $4,700 a year. or about $400 a month. Fees are posted on the clubs’ websites and there are many categories but these fees seem to be comparable.
Andrew, perhaps this calls for an IM visit to the golf clubs ! ….For the sake of history and architecture…?
Yes, Beech and Essex are where I always thought the money was (it just “came up ” more).
Wealth is interesting, and Windsor wealth is more interesting, because it’s hidden, often. Here in Toronto it too me a while to get used to the Forest Hill-Rosedale-Holt Renfrew nexus, entire neighbourhoods and circles the rich move in – a massive bubble.
Windsor is different because it’s so small, and the class strata is fairly flat because it’s such a working class town. The “rich” blend into the middle class a lot more.
That said, a lot of those Riverside Drive homes are owned by working class folk, trades people, tool and die guys — and many we bought decades ago before before prices soared.
Has a house sold for $10 million in Windsor? Is that possible, or apocryphal? Even in Toronto, a $10 million house is something.