1545 Main Street - Salisbury House

© 2023, Christian Cassidy

Image courtesy of Bryan Scott

Place: Former Salisbury House Restaurant
Address: 1545 Main Street (Map)
Constructed: 1962
Contractor: Unknown  

The last of the 'old school' Salisbury House restaurants at 1545 Main Street at Matheson Avenue has been put up for sale. Though the building dates back to 1962, the presence of a coffee shop and restaurant at this intersection goes back much further.  

September 25, 1952, The Jewish Post

The first restaurant to open at this corner was Le Chateau lunch counter. A $2,000 building permit was issued for a single-storey, 16-foot x 30-foot building in October 1938.

Street directories show that the owner was John Reid of 398 Redwood Avenue with Stephie Dronyk of Magnus Avenue and Mary Bayer, a lodger at 398 Redwood, the waitresses.  

A number of changes took place at the restaurant in the early 1940s which could indicate that Reid was involved in the war effort.

In 1942, Isidore Gilman of 453 Pritchard is listed as the proprietor and the following year Mrs. John Reid (née Nancy Hanson) is the proprietor. Mrs. Reid gave birth to a baby girl in August 1944 and in August John Reid took out "for sale" ads in the Free Press for a "prosperous snack shop" at 1545 Main Street.

October 25, 1956, The Jewish Post

The restaurant was sold and the line of short-term proprietors continued.

Mrs. Helen Richards of 186 Rupertsland Avenue owned the business in 1945. Her employees included Harry E Richards of 599 Young Street an Harry L Richards of 186 Ruperstland.

By 1947, it was run by Ruben Cohen, then Peter and Esther Halayko of Scotia Street in 1952.

The last couple of proprietors were women. Mrs. Anne Kaptain from about 1955 to 1958 and Mrs. Lena
Rohatensky from 1959 to 1960.

The business then disappears from street directories. It is unclear what happened to the building.

April 19, 1966, Winnipeg Free Press

In 1962 a building permit was issued to Salisbury House for the construction of a new restaurant building on the site taht included parking and a full basement. It would be the company's 18th location in Winnipeg if you include drive-ins and the snack bar at the bus terminal.

There were no "grand opening" ads for the restaurant so it is unclear what date it opened. The first manager was Charles Turnley who was a 15-year veteran of the company.

Starting in April 1964, help wanted ads for the company listed this location as being home to its personnel office and training centre.

Despite the restaurant's small size, it boasted a small "banquet room" for community meetings. Some groups that used it in the 1960s include the Canadian Press Club's 1966 AGM and the Garden City Chapter of B'Nai Brith Women.

January 30, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

Given its prime location and 24-hour service, the restaurant became a hangout for many notable North Enders.

Burton Cummings wrote in a Facebook post: "North End Sals…Matheson and Main...still the very same as it was when we had the Deverons going. Edd Smith and I went here after countless Deveron dances because he and I both lived only minutes away. Countless nights spent in and around this place. It was our teenage 'Diner', just like the movie. Indelible memories."

When Monty Hall returned to Winnipeg in April 2008 for a Variety Club 30th anniversary gala dinner, he did a 'meet and greet' at the Main and Matheson Salisbury House.

June 20, 2009, Winnipeg Free Press

Salisbury House was noted for its many staff members who worked for teh company for decades. Pat Diseigne worked at the Main and Matheson location from 1974 to 2009. You can hear her reminiscences about the job and serving regulars like Bobby Hull, Gary Doer, and Burton Cummings at this audio clip at PastForward.

The restaurant appears to have been a special place for company president Earl Barish as well. Through the 2000s, as many of what it called its "cafeteria style" restaurants closed in favour of family restaurants, Main and Matheson continued on.

When their oldest location at the time, the circa 1955 Pembina Highway and Stafford Street, was replaced by a new restaurant building in 2012, Barish noted that the site was one of the top three "nostalgia wise" for the chain. The others were Ellice Avenue and Roseberry Street (now closed) and Main Street at Matheson Avenue.

In 2013, eight of the company's smaller restaurants, including Main and Matheson, were converted to "Sals Xpress" locations with a more limited menu than the family restaurants and a focus on take-out service.

Even as late as 2016, with this location one of the last of a bygone era, Barish told a Free Press reporter, "The Main and Matheson location we'll never change, though. That would be a mistake. It's a neighbourhood kind of thing."

In late January 2023 the building was listed for sale.

The Realtor's write-up notes that the building is "non-complaint" due to its washrooms being in the basement and is "Priced for quick sale with no chance of rezoning condition" and the land suitable for a multi-family residential building.

Sadly, there is no future for this neighbourhood landmark.

Related:
Salisbury House History - salisburyhouse.ca