Icelandic heritage in Winnipeg

With Gimli's Islendingedagurinn (Icelandic Festival) less than a month away, and myself being a proud Icelandic-Canadian, I thought I would do some research on the historic structures in Winnipeg that have connections to the Icelandic community.  You will notice that many of the buildings are clustered in the neighborhood surrounding Health Sciences Center. 

1. Olafson House, Built 1895, 539 William Avenue. A beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture. Unique corner turret.

2. Bardal Block (Bardal Funeral Home) Built in 1906. 843 Sherbrook Street

3. Heimskringla Building Built 1904 .  Icelandic language newspaper

4. Baldwin Baldwinson House Built 1907 727 Sherbrook, next door to Heimskringla Building. He was editor of the newspaper

5. Sterling Bank built 1911. Current home of Logberg-Heimskringla paper.

6. Hekla Apartments built 1911.  260 Toronto

7. Petursson House, built 1914, 616 Alverstone.  Queen Anne style home

8. Scandinavian Mission Church built 1897 corner of Logan and Ellen.

9. Scandinavian Cultural Center 764 Erin Street

addition to my post on Selkirk ave

I recently purchased a 1955 Winnipeg CityGuide, i found some interesting notes to add.

788 Selkirk was known as the Ogarenko Block
640 Selkirk Kepman Apartments
408 Harrison Block (long demolished)
396 Gronbach Block
390 Grosney Bldg
376 (|Alekno Block) was known in 1955 as the \Mitchell Block. Perhaps Mitchell's Meat Market?
379 Skraba Apts (demolished)

267 Harris Block was demolished 2 weeks ago

at 208 Selkirk and 962 Main was the site of Fairbairn Hall




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City of Winnipeg's Historical Buildings Inventory

The City of Winnipeg keeps a inventory of its historic buildings.  These buildings are not on the Heritage Conservation list, but are recognized as structures with historic value. The recent loss of the former Regal Furniture Building on Arlington and Logan (not on inventory) highlights the city's need to keep a better inventory of their history.

The following buildings are missing from the Inventory, and recieve no protection from demolition:

1. Kaye's Auction House (1903-06)
2. Assiniboine School (1922)
3. Parkview Building (Portage Avenue @ Parkview St)
4. 655 Logan Avenue
5. nearly all of the commercial blocks on Osborne between River and Corydon
6. former Northern Bank, Main at Selkirk
7. M.J. Roofing (Sinclair St at Dufferin)
8. former Merchants bank Selkirk at Arlington (1920)
9. Mansfield Court on Ellice
10. Manwin Hotel (1882)
11. Mac's/Ellice Cafe & Theater
12. Palace Theater
13. Cathedral Avenue Fire Station
14. Lord Kitchener School (1915)
15. Lord Wolseley School (1915)
16. former John Deere warehouse (Border Glass)
17. Hurtig Building (1902)
18. 516, 524, and 584 Balmoral (1884-1895)
19. Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1952)
20. Hamilton House (1910)
21. Warehouse, 318 Ross (1905)
22. Western Paint Building (1908)
23. 103 Fulham (1931)
24. Fort Rouge United Church
25.  Duplex, 448 Cumberland
26. Dominion Bridge Works (1907)
27. Dominion Express Building (1904)
28. CNIB/AFM Building (1928)
29. California Fruit MArket
30. Bardal Funeral Home (1906)
31. former Bank of Toronto, Academy Road (1934)
32. Rose Theater
33. Roxy Theater
34. Lechtzier Turkish Baths (King St. next to S. A. Citadel) (1903)
35. Warehouse, 83 Kate (1909)
36. Warehouse, 468 Ross (1910)
37. St. Edward's Convent (1920-22)
38. St. James Park Block
39. St. Regis Hotel (1909)
40. Warehouse, 312 William (1912)
41. Tec Voc High School (1949-51)
42. WW1 Cenotaph, Memorial Blvd (1928)


These buildings deserve the same measure of protection.  Surely they are mor worthy of historical value than these:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Annabella151-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Bannerman99-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Cornish29-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Dafoe83-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Dumoulin348-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/EastGate96-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Higgins55-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Magnus469-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Main822-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/MiddleGate40-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Scotia65-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/Selkirk181-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/WestGate66-overview.pdf
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-inventory/William288-overview.pdf

Selkirk Avenue

The Free Press recently mentioned the North End, specifically Selkirk Avenue between Arlington and Main, as being a historic district, built between 1910-1935. Starting at Arlington Street, the historic commercial blocks are:

*indicates that the building is on the City's Historical Inventory

804 : former Merchant's Bank (now a Ukrainian Assocation), 1920
795:  now KEEP Child Care,
788: now Doug Martindale, MLA
735: now Dilit's Bakery & Grocery
Parr Street
702: vacant
696: now North End Tattoo
675
McKenzie Street
640: Now an apartment block
623: Now Paradis & Dennis
621/619: now Western Union & Ukrainian Export
620: Ukranian Veterans Building, Modernist
613: Built 1932
606: former bank, now Oyate Tipi Cumini Yape
McGregor Street
*602 Budnik Block 1911, 1928 (Baltona Meats)
*594 Budnik Annex 1929
592 former B. Dyma Dentist Office, now Aban Denture Clinic
586
*583 Wasserman Block, 1911
571
*567 Aurora Block 1914
*565 Miles Block 1911
553
551
*541 Merchants Hotel /Steiman Block 1913
Andrews Street
530 now K& D Food Store
511 now MCC Thrift Store
509  now NECRC Office
506
502
501 Palace Theater 1912
Powers Street (Blocked off)
460
423 Wawel Meat Market
417 Weselake Building 1928
415 now Money Mart
Salter Street
409, former Union Bank, now Chochys Pawn, 1918
407 now Giant Food Mart
399 now Accurate Washer & Appliance
394 now North End Womens Resource Center
390 Regnimal Block
387 "Vote Communist" House 1904
386 Now Up Shoppe
380 Mitchell's Meat Market
377 (house) 1903
376 Alekno Block 1914
372 now Ideal Mfg Co
Aikens Street
Robinson Street
Charles Street
281 former Hi-tech Art Gallery now Vacant
267 vacant
*239 St Giles Church /Queen's Theater 1890
King Street
213 now Mikos Denture Clinic
968 Main Street @ Selkirk, Former Northern Bank/Royal Bank, now Dr. Dang's Medical Clinic 1905

Lost treasures

 I was thinking the other day, and i realized it has been nearly ten years since i moved to Winnipeg (December 2001). That got me to thinking, how many historic structures we have lost since then.

1. Eaton's Store  (MTS Centre)
2. Epic/Regent Theater (WRHA)
3. Ogilvie Mills (Fire)
4. Starland Theater (WRHA)
5. Smart Bag Company Building (1880s section)  (Sport MB expansion)
6. Regal Furniture Company Building (Minhas Creek expansion)
7. Winnipeg Roller Skating Rink (University of Winnipeg)
8. Amy Street Steam Plant  (demolished)
9. Union Stockyards Building (demolished - neglect)
10. Somerset School (Shopper's Drug Mart)
11. Provencher Bridge (replaced)
12. Club/Jack's Hotel (WRHA)
13. Electric Railway Chambers Annex (garden for Canwest Building)
14. Weston Bakery (HSC)
15. Trick Block (gravel parking lot for Dr. Dang's Medical Clinic)
16. Main Meats (WHRA)
17. Salisbury School #2
18. Anna Gibson School (MBC School expansion)
19. Florence Nightingale School (housing development)
20. Phoenix Block (vacant lot, neglect)
21. Maison Lambert (now vacant lot)
22. Maison Joseph Royal (Place Joseph Royal condos)
23. Villiers Duplex from 1881 (demolished)
24. Brooklands "red" School (deemed outdated)
25. Transcona Meats  (fire)
26. Nairn Commercial Block (Props Snowboarding) (fire)
27. Able Wholesale (fire)
28. Dennistoun House

Pending:

• Robert/Coronation/Shanghai Building
• Louise Bridge?
• Ellice @ Wall Marina-style Safeway?

On the other hand, some historic structures have been saved:

1. Barber house (fire - currently rebuilding)
2. Ryan Block (rebuilt facade)
3. 6 Historic buildings comprising the RRC Princess street campus
4. All People's Mission Sutherland
5. Church of Christ Scientist
6. 256 Bushnell (fire)
7. Albert Street Business Block
8. Clarendon Hotel (MTS Centre Exhibition Hall)

A tour through two of Winnipeg's inner city neighborhoods - the North End and Point Douglas - may surprise some. Every once in a while, an ornate historic home pops up. This should not be too surprising considering that the majority of the housing stock in this area was built between 1880 to the 1930's. One will find a number of Queen Anne, Second Empire, and other styles of houses.

• The most notable example is 494 College Avenue built in 1906. A red brick Queen Anne, it's become known informally as "the Castle"  (below)

• 504 College Avenue shares the same builders as its neighbour, but less ornate ornamentation (below).

• 74 Higgins Avenue in South Point Douglas was built in 1889 for J. W. Ackland, founder of the Ackland's company. It is wood frame construction, with decorative bargeboard gables.

• 43 Boyle Street in South Point Douglas was built in 1900. It is a beautiful wood-framed Victorian home with decorative gables and a limestone foundation.

• 17 Luxton Avenue in Scotia Heights was built in 1909. It is a woodframed Queen Anne.

 

• 177 Machray Avenue was built in 1914 and is a notable version of the Craftsman style.  (below)

• 291 Magnus Avenue was built in the Second Empire style in 1885 (below)

• 95 Luxton Avenue was built for local butcher J. B. Lauzon in 1895 and is one of the city's finest Victorian houses. His butcher shop was located at 339 William Avenue in the Exchange.

• 231 Austin Street (built 1894) (below)

• 440 Mountain Avenue is a Queen Anne house of wood frame construction built in 1913 (below)

• 45 Lily Street in South Point Douglas was built in 1893 for Daniel McDonald of Confederation Life Association and is one of the city's earliest Queen Anne houses.

• 453 Mountain Avenue was built in 1882 and is a wood framed Victorian house with snubbed gables.

• 82 St. Cross Street was built in 1911.
• 79 Hallet Street  is a brick duplex built in 1885.

• 227 Austin Street is a beautiful wood-framed duplex built in 1905 that features very ornate woodwork .

• 121 Euclid Avenue was built in 1911. It is a Queen Anne home with an attatched retail store, and it currently serves as Metro Meats.
• 
  
  59 Scotia Street was built in 1887, a brick Second Empire home.
• 247 Manitoba Avenue is one of a few remaining Second Empire terraces, built in 1909.

• 101 Lorne Avenue is a smaller example of a Second Empire house, built in 1881, however it is in poor shape.

• 87 Redwood Avenue was built in 1903.
• 
  
  428 Mountain Avenue is a fine example of a Queen Anne House, built in 1907.
• 123 Euclid Avenue was built in 1889, next to Metro Meats (see photo). A great Second Empire home.
• 
  
  476 and 480 Powers Avenue are two beautiful Queen Anne homes next door to each other, both built in 1913.
• 94 Cathedral Avenue was built in 1894, a beautiful example of Victorian craftsmanship.

 

Some other Historic houses in this area:

• 393 Burrows Avenue (built 1913)
• 397 Burrows Avenue (built 1909)
• 112 Scotia Street  (built 1907)
• 118 Cathedral Avenue (built 1905)
• 266 Manitoba Avenue (built 1903)
• 265 Inkster Boulevard (built 1932)
• 270 Atlantic Avenue (built 1914)
• 362 Stella Avenue (built 1906)
• 377 Burrows Avenue (built 1915)
• 469 Machray Avenue  (built 1913)
• 571 College Avenue (built 1913)
• 79 Lusted Street (built 1898)
• 95 Lorne Avenue (built 1916)
• 95 Cathedral Avenue (Built 1907)
• 145 and 147 Bannerman Avenue (1912)

Back lanes in Winnipeg's old neighborhoods, especially the Exchange District, really paint a true picture of Winnipeg's past. Looking past the ornate stone facades on the streetfront, some of which have been unattractively altered over time, you will see many telltale signs of over a century of existence.  Worn - not deteriorated but softened with age - brickwork shows many battle scars, from carts, trains, and trucks scraping past them; soot deposits from many years of coal burning; and initials and dates scratched into them. Signage, some being historic advertisements, some being modern graffiti, are common. Fire escapes look abandoned, even rusted. One of the best features is the covered alleyways, such as under the Gault (Artspace) Building.  Here are a few pictures from the Exchange, from the back lanes.