The Grenville Place Turkish Baths were the first to be built by Dr Richard Barter after those at St Ann's Hydropathic Establishment at Blarney. This photograph of the baths (on the left) is from the Lawrence Collection of 40,000 glass plate negatives taken between 1870 and 1914 so it shows the building after the rebuilding which took place in 1863.

It is not known how much rebuilding was actually undertaken but if, as seems most likely, the rebuilding was only of the inside—the baths themselves—then the façade in the photograph is probably the original one.

It is interesting to note that, perhaps influenced by his architect namesake's fact-finding visit to Rome, the building sports a classical portico rather than horseshoe windows and fake minarets. Clearly to be seen at the front of the building are the separate doors which were, according to the Cork Examiner of 1 July 1859, for males (on the left) and females (on the right).