Edmonton St at St. Mary Ave - Lakeview Hotel

Project: Lakeview Hotels
Address: 400 St. Mary Ave at Edmonton (Map)
Status: Proposed
Size: Phase 1: 85 rooms, four storey. Phase 2: 150 rooms, 12 storey.

Background

The corner of Edmonton and St. Mary has housed a lot of cars over the years !

The first commercial building on the site in what was mainly residential area, opened in October 1920. Royal Garage was a car storage facility and repair shop. The business changed hands a number of times, (Brighton Garage; Manitoba Motors; McVicars, Streamline Motors and Body Works), until 1944.

That year, St. Boniface-based Star Storage purchased the building and a couple of residential properties south of it, to relocate their Marion Street business.

Edmonton at St. Mary (bottom) ca. 1973 (source)

Star lasted until 1965 then moved to Archibald Street. It was then home to Brennan's Radio and TV until 1971 when it was demolished as part of the Winnipeg Convention Centre project. It has remained a 160 stall parking lot ever since.

May 23, 2006, Winnipeg Free Press

By 2004, The Lakeview Group were the new owners of the property and announced that they would construct a $12m, six-storey, 115 room all-suite hotel beginning in Spring 2005. The building would also add another piece to the Skywalk system.

Lakeview was no stranger to the area. In 1971 - 72 they constructed the Holiday Inn / Holiday Tower / Lakeview Square project on the block east of the Convention Centre.

Since first proposed, there have been a number of different configurations and designs announced. (See this West End Dumplings post for a list.)

Most recently, the site is to contain two hotels. A four-storey, 85-room Lakeview Signature Hotel facing Edmonton Street and a $19-million, 12-storey, 150-room Lakeview Inn connected to the Skywalk. The latter would be built as a second phase to the project.


Related Media:
Expansion on a Grand Scale Winnipeg Free Press (2012)