The process of construction of the main building can be read in the street elevation. Beginning as a single storey shed building with a central door and two flanking windows, it had additions to the south for the post-office, with a central window and two flanking doors, one in, one out. The three windows on the upper floors were added by Nasmith Allsopp, similar to spacing of the original windows, but without re-instating a former door out onto the roof of the porch. The roof-light and playful arrangement of new windows on the south elevation to give lake views were added by Nasmith/Allsopp. (There had been a two storey dairy building to the south, the reason there were few windows on the side facing the lake.)  There was also a second shed building connected to the stone storage shed.

The building was built by Perry Prosser, but for much of its life was owned and operated by the Aitken family of Windermere House, Fred and William Aitken, sold to the Paulette family mid-century. The hotel bought it back from Ed Paulette in the mid 1980's on his retirement.  

The complex of four buildings is an example of early settlement buildings in Muskoka, using the materials of the area, stone and timber.  They have been altered over their lifetimes, but retain much of the original material. The stone foundations, and stone root house have been restored.

This commercial vernacular building was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2019. It is important to Windermere for its role in the development of Windermere, for its relationship with the Windermere House, for its connection to the village's early families, for its contribution to the streetscape of the early period of tourist and cottage development, and for its heritage attributes. The heritage attributes of the post office and general store include the wooden door and double-screened door of the former general store, the doors on the south end of the main floor formerly the entrance and exit to the post office, front porch with its original wood plank ceiling, and the original single-glazed windows on the lower level of the front elevation. The heritage attributes of the other buildings on the property include the sun porch with stone pier supports of the Benjamin Taylor House; the gable roof with wood louvres in both gables and the heavy, insulated cedar-faced door of the ice house; and, the Muskoka stone and timber construction of the storage building with its wood shingle roof. See Designation Report for more information.

• Architect - Catherine Nasmith Architect - Heritage Architect and Planner, past-publisher of Built Heritage News   <-- More buildings by this architect.