From the Border Cities Star – May 30, 1925:
COOPER COURT, FINEST OF BORDER RESIDENCES
Above is a general view of Cooper Court, taken from the front. It gives a good idea of the magnificent proportions of the handsome residence, and of the beautiful grounds which front it. The home is built on the site of the former Charles S. King residence. Mr Cooper bought the property from Mr. King and razed the house that stood on it, replacing it with this handsome structure. It is one of the largest, if not the largest, pieces of property in the Border Cities entirely given over to a private dwelling. It extends along Ontario Street for the full distance between Kildare and Devonshire Roads, Walkerville, and back half the length of a long block. The lawn, a considerable portion of which is shown, is almost in a state of perfection and has the reputation of being one of the best kept pieces of land in the district. The picture also shows part of the extensive tulip beds which grace the grounds, more than 2,200 of the plants having been set out. Unfortunately the backwards spring has retarded their progress this year and many of the plants have failed to come into bloom.
… A glimpse of the formal garden on the north side of Cooper Court, just inside the massive gateway. Here in one short year, a beautiful piece of landscape gardening has been accomplished with smooth sward, gorgeous flowers, a fountain and neatly kept gravel paths. The statuary well selected and placed adds much to the charm of the scene. On the left is seen the pillared portico and the main entrance to the dwelling. In the background is the glass roofed wing which houses the conservatory and swimming pool, and beyond that, the garage. Trees have been judiciously set out, and are beginning to give promise of what may be expected of them a few years hence. When they mature, the drive will be a thing of real beauty, delightfully shaded. On the right is a decorative hedge which marks the boundaries of the property. This being carefully trained, and makes a fitting background for the delightful combination of art and nature which has taken every advantage of a comparatively small space.
Here is one of the most cheerful and delightful rooms in Cooper Court. It is the sunroom, with the library in the background. Entirely enclosed with glass on two sides, this room is a marvel of brightness and beauty. In the far corner of the library is seen the keyboard of the organ.
One of the most striking points of interest about Cooper Court is the conservatory and swimming pool. It is on the second floor in the northwest wing, leading directly out of the main second floor corridor. The walls and roof are entirely of translucent glass, while the pool and the floor are of terrazzo. The pool is seven feet deep at one end and three and one half feet at the end reserved fro the little ones. At each side of the entrance is a tile and marble dressing room, one for men and one for women.
Quietly luxuriant in all its appointments is this, the reception hall of Cooper Court. The grill-work in the right background encloses the main pipes of the magnificent organ, and through the door at the rear a glimpse of the beautiful library is seen. The whole effect is in the most exquisite taste.
It’s hard to grasp the idea of how large and majestic the 40 room Cooper Court was. The area occupied by the Cooper Court Property is highlighted in yellow. In comparison Harry Low’s mansion, was located cater-corner to Cooper’s, and is visible in the lower right hand side of the aerial photo.
Cooper Court was designed by Pennigton and Boyde, for James Cooper, who made his fortune during prohibition. Cooper’s story can be found at the Walkerville Times website.
Cooper only lived here a few years, as his ill health forced him to Switzerland, and the relief of the alpine air. In 1931 while sailing back to Europe from New York, Cooper allegedly fell overboard in the middle of the Atlantic. His body was never recovered.
While the expense of maintaining such large home was its downfall, and judging from the style of the six houses that were built on the Cooper Court Land, it came down sometime in the 1960’s. A bit of it survives today.
Visible in the second photo in today’s post, a bit of the driveway and gate house still stand on Kildare Ave.
Too bad the house didn’t survive, it sounds like it would have made a great B&B or museum… Without a doubt the grandest of Windsor’s lost residential buildings.
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If I ever come across a large sum of money, I want my swimming room to look like that! What a beauty it was!
Huh. Never knew you could say 'catty-corner'...always thought it was 'kitty-corner'...apparently both are correct.
WOW! Puts Willistead to shame.
Excellent post, Andrew. Ever since reading about this in the Walkerville Times a few years ago I've been fascinated with this house. As well as all the amenities shown above it also had a bowling alley and that organ that was shown there in the library had special tubing that pumped music throughout the entire house. It certainly would have made an amazing museum. It truly captures the era of conspicuous consumption that was the fashion in Windsor and many other places in the 1920s, and the way that Cooper himself mysteriously disappeared just adds to its mystique. Thanks so much for posting this. Cooper also had another residence in the county as well in Belle River which I believe survives today as the Cooper Court Hotel.
You are correct Brendan, there was also one in Belle River that was his first home.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&q=Cooper+Court+Hotel&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=Cooper+Court+Hotel&hnear=Windsor,+ON&cid=0,0,2952771514018569470&ei=glq8TPuhOMrVngf2rf3DDQ&ved=0CCsQnwIwAw&ll=42.293993,-82.708941&spn=0,0.027874&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.29398,-82.708826&panoid=qKlAdL7JYPMOsAmVVKv0yQ&cbp=12,324.31,,0,-4.97
Wow- I think I remember briefly reading about this place but it never really sunk-in at how huge this place was. I'm guessing that because of it's massive size, finding a buyer that would pay the price tag and be able to maintain it was difficult. Hence, maybe it came down because of that??
On another note, I was driving south on Dougall last night across from the Families First funeral home (I think that's the name) and noticed a sign for a business development on a front lawn. There are a row of houses that are either boarded up or abandoned south of the TD bank. Looks like those are about to bite the dust.
thanks for the street view now I understand exactly where this mansion was
awsome information as usual
thanks
James S. Cooper's neighbour across the street, Harry Low ended up losing most of his money during the depression and ended up living out his days in relative obscurity on McKay avenue until 1955. Both of these men's stories show us how fleeting fortune, or in Cooper's case, life itself can be.
Also, the fact that this mansion came down in the 1960s simply shows the mindset of most people in North America at the time. Historical preservation societies and movements were non existent, or at best in their infancy when it was torn down, so the fact that it wasn't saved (if it were actually empty) makes sense to me - no matter how sad it is that it isn't there for us to enjoy now. Another thing to think about was that the land this house occupied was on some very valuable real estate being across the street from the home of a famous member of Parliament, close to schools, churches, and amenities, it no doubt made whoever owned the land at the time a nice bit of money. So in a purely short sighted and economical way it made sense... At least we have the pictures.
My Uncle is James Scott Cooper II, son of James Scott Cooper, would built Cooper Court. Uncle Scott passed away 2008. He was about 13 when his father died. Thanks for posting this article. I will pass the link along to my cousins. Anything else you may have on the Coopers would be appreciated.
Here's James Scott Cooper's wikipedia page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott_Cooper
A very fascinating gentleman, and a sort of renaissance man as well with his innovations in farming technology and his tile factory that once put out 10,000 tiles and 20,000 bricks daily. According to the wiki page he was able to keep his fortune after the stock market crash of 1929.