554 Magnus Avenue - Tiny House

© 2026, Christian Cassidy

Place: Private residence
Address: 554 Magnus Avenue
Constructed: 1905

At 483 square feet, this is truly a tiny house. It is currently for sale for $89,900. You can check out the listing here. Obviously the interior was not staged by the Realtor!

Manitoba Historical Maps on Flickr

According to city assessment records, the building permit for this house was issued in 1905. This is in line with the rest of the original houses on the block, with several others built that same year.

At one time, this was part of the Magnus Brown homestead.

He was born in the Orkney Islands and came to Canada around 1839 to work as a trader for the HBC. After years of service, he was granted a 200-acre homestead spanning from Main to McPhillips streets.
In Winnipeg’s inaugural year of 1874, the Browns were in their sixties with no children and cashed in on the land boom by selling their property to the Burrows family.

The above 1874 subdivision plan is for the former Brown homestead, by then owned by Harriet Burrows. The plan was purely speculative as it took a couple of decades for city services to make their way out this far and create an urban subdivision.

Nearby area amenities were built soon after, such as Salem Reformed Church in 1908, William Whyte School in 1914, North End Chapel in 1917, and the Hebrew Free School in 1922.

1906 Census of Canada (Library and Archives Canada)

The earliest years of 554 Magnus’ history show a long list of short-term newcomer labourers, which suggests it may have been rental property>

The first to call it home appears in the 1906 street directory, the data for which would have been compiled in 1905. Michael Damkach, a labourer, is the head of household, and G. Denkuk, an employee at Royal Crown Ltd., is a renter.  (Street directories were not known for being accurate with new immigrant names. In this case, when handwritten, the two names look very similar and may have been the same family.)

The following year, street directories show Charles Itsoph, no occupation, and the 1906 census (see above) shows a Prussian couple whose names are illegible.

Some stability came in 1907 with labourer Wasyl Seph (or Sephe), who lived here for a couple of years. This was followed by Isaac Skepna, a labourer with the city, who lived here until 1912.

It was then back to some short-term dwellers, including: Samuel Heckman, teamster (1912); Michael Kopp, employee at gas works (1913); Sam Narmartesnsky, shoemaker (1914);  and George Demchuk, labourer (1915). It's likely that most of these men had spouses and some had children. Street directories only show the head of household and other working adults.

Union Stock Yards ca. 1913 (City of Winnipeg Archives)

Stability came to the house in 1916 with the arrival of the Granda family, who packed five people into this one-bedroom house!

Anton (Tony) Granda was a labourer at the Union Stock Yards in St. Boniface who came to Canada from Poland in 1912. He lived with his wife, Sophie and their two children. For good measure, Mike Wogoski, an icemaker, is a lodger. 

By 1921, the Granda children were part of the workforce. Mary (15) was a wrapper at the Canadian Candy and Biscuit Co. at 610 Dufferin, and Mike (18) was an employee at the Winnipeg Paper Box Co. at 218 Henry.

February 24, 1941, Winnipeg Tribune

The Grandas moved out in 1922 and lived in a couple of locations before the family, now including Mike's wife, ended up at 580 Burrows in 1929. Tony worked at the Union Stock Yards in St. Boniface. 

Mike Granda died in 1931 at the age of 27. A cause of death wasn't mentioned.

A decade later, in February 1941, Tony and Sophie were on St. Annes Road crossing to the centre island to a street car stop, when Tony was struck and killed by a car. The driver was arrested but faced no charges as he argue d that he was blinded by oncoming headlights and didn't see Granda. Mrs. Granda sued him for damages and received $1,300.

1931 Census of Canada (Library and Archives Canada)

The stability continued with Bartko “William” Placan, a labourer with the CPR, who arrived with his family in 1923. Wife Catherine and five children ranging in age from 2 to 16.  They stayed until 1951.

Through the 1950s, Joseph C. Bielinski who worked for Western Glove, and wife, Emily lived here.

Mr. Bielinski was born in Poland and came to Canada as a child with his family. He was employed at Western Glove for the last 14 years of his working life, retiring in October 1957. The couple had three sons and daughters who by this time were all grown, and many with children of their own..

Sadly Mr.  Bielinski didn’t get to enjoy his retirement as he died in February 1958 at the age of 69. Emily moved the following year.

Grave at Holy Family Cemetery (Holly, Find a Grave)

In 1960, another older couple, Peter and Margaret Swidinsky, arrived at the house.

Peter was born in Borschiw, Western Ukraine, and came to Manitoba in 1926, and settled in the Rossburn area. Two years later, he was joined by his wife Magdalene/Margaret (nee Duniec), also born in Borschiw, and their first child. They would go on to have three more children.

The couple moved to Winnipeg in 1957 and Peter worked as a bookkeeper at Manitoba Cold Storage before retiring in 1966. They were devoted members of Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral on McGregor Street, where Margaret attended daily mass.

Peter died in November 1973 at the age of 76. Margaret continued to live at the house until 1977. She died at Holy Family Nursing Home in May 1996 at the age of 95.

Grave at Stonewall cemetery, (R. Mitchell, Find a Grave)

In 1978, Harvey and Patricia Dubreuil moved in.

Harvey was born in 1924 in Sudbury, Ontario and worked at the Maple Leaf Mills on Archibald Street. Patricia (nee McCormick) was born 17 years later in Gunton, Manitoba. It is unclear when the couple married, and they had three children, Clifford, Jean and Susan. it is likely that at least a couple of the children lived with them.

Patricia died at the house in December 1979 at the age of 38.

Harvey retired in the early 1980s and lived here until at least 1999, when the Winnipeg street directory ceased publication. That's at least 22 years, making him the longest-term resident of 554 Magnus Avenue.

Harvey Dubreuil died at the Maples Personal Care Home in February 2002 at the age of 77. 

802 Magnus Avenue - Tiny House

 © 2026, Christian Cassidy

802 Magnus in 2009 (Google Street View)

Place: Private residence
Address: 802 Magnus Avenue (Map)
Constructed: 1907
Size: 707 square feet
Status: Burned out, for sale as a tear down

According to the city’s property assessment records, the building permit for this house was issued in 1907, though the first resident is listed in the 1907 street directory, the data for which would have been compiled in 1906.

Its first owners were the Benditt family. Louis Benditt, an Austrian Jew, came to Canada from his home country in 1901. He was joined by his wife, Raisa, and first child, Nathan, the following year. The couple would have two more children, Harry and Ethel, before moving to Magnus Avenue, and one more, Anna, after.

Mr. Benditt worked for fish wholesaler W. J. Fish Company,  located at 90 Alexander Avenue near the Alexander Docks.

The family moved to a larger house at 752 Stella Avenue in 1916, where the couple would live for the rest of their lives.

May 28, 1940, Winnipeg Tribune

Ethel Bendit (who dropped a "t" from the last name) would go on to the U of M and graduate with an education degree. She was, what her obituary describes as, "A strict disciplinarian and most effective teacher" at Gimli and Teulon, then in Winnipeg, at Aberdeen and Tec Voc schools.

Bendit was politically active in the late 1930s and early 1940s with the Young Liberals / Junior section of the Manitoba Liberal Progressive Association, the 20th Century Young Liberal Club, and the Greater Winnipeg Youth Council.

An overgrown 802 Magnus in 2024 (Google Street View)

The house sat empty for a year or two and then went through a phase as a grocery store! It's unclear how a 700-square-foot house could contain a grocery store with an owner's residence in the back, but according to street directories, several people made it work. Perhaps a small lean-to was added to the front?

This was known as Harry Harrison's grocery in 1918, Peter Guti grocery in 1920, Mike Ostapolich Grocery in 1921, and Fannie Zeidel's in 1922. All of the owners are listed as living at the same address.

It appears to have reverted to a house in 1923, then had several short-term owners until 1931, when John Smolak and family arrived.

1931 Census of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

John Smolak, a bricklayer, was born in Poland around 1892 and came to Winnipeg in his late teens. He married Frances, a fellow Pole, and they had five children. The 1931 census entry above captured them at their old Manitoba Avenue address. By the end of the year, they were living at 802 Magnus and stayed until 1940.

In 1945, the Sawackis arrived. Nicholas Sawacki was born in Ukraine and came to Winnipeg in 1928 with his wife, Julia. He worked for the CPR until his retirement. The couple had one son, and Julia had two children from a previous marriage. 

Nick died at the home in 1954 at the age of 67, and Julia died there in 1963 at the age of 77.

April 30, 1988, Winnipeg Free Press

The online versions of Winnipeg street directories end in 1965, so you'd have to go to the Local History Room at the Millennium Library to find residents up to 1999 in paper copies of the guide.

There are no newspaper article mentions of the house or any residents in recent decades, though it did go up for sale at least three times. In December 1969, it was described as "5 room, 1/2 basement, gas heat" house for sale for $8,500. In May 1979, it was listed for $25,900. In March 1988, it was listed for for  $43,500.

Realtor.ca

The interior was damaged by fire in the 2020s and the house was boarded up. It was for sale as was for sale as likely a teardown in early 2026 for $59,900 but appears to have been sold.

412 Salter Street - Tiny House

© 2026, Christian Cassidy

412 Salter in 2009 (Google Street View)

Place: Private residence
Address: 412 Salter Street
Built: 1893
Size: 529 Square Feet

This is a series on tiny houses in Winnipeg. This is one of the smallest you will find!

Waghorn's 1895 map and street index (City of Winnipeg Archives)

According to the city's assessment database, 412 Salter Street was built in 1893. Unfortunately, this makes it hard to track down its earliest inhabitants.

The outer reaches of the North End were still a work in progress at this time. Many Selkirk Settler river lots in the Parish of St. John's were early in the process of being sold off in chunks to speculators. It would take more than a decade for this land to start being formally subdivided by the city into proper residential streets that were aligned from block to block with boulevards, sidewalks and sewers.

The 1894 street directory shows seven houses, most unnumbered, on Salter Street from the CNR tracks to the city limits at Inkster. In 1899, that number grew to ten houses with two of them located between St. Johns and Anderson avenues. They were owned by Christopher Wilson and John Newby.

The following year, the houses are finally numbered, and Newby, occupation dairyman, is at 412.

1891 Census of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

The 1891 census shows a John Newby, dairyman, living on land in Ward 6 (the North End). 

The Newby household consisted of John, 45, who was from England and came to Canada in 1877, his wife, Elizabeth, 38, from Ontario, and daughter, Margaret, 12. There is also one "domestic", most likely a farm hand, named William Cumming.

The Newby dairy farm was a small operation. An 1898 dairy inspection report notes that he had seven cows. In 1900, there were thirteen cows with a stable and milk house on the property. It appears that he sold his milk directly to customers, so there was likely a stable for a horse and wagon on the property as well.

June 8, 1904, Winnipeg Free Press

As suburban development began to creep closer to his part of the West End, Newby put his dairy operation for sale, with the land certainly being more valuable than the business.

It appears he was successful, as the 1904 directory shows him as a farmer with a home at 633 Mulvey Avenue, (this was before the Mulvey Apartments were built on the site).

1906 Census of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

The next owner of the property was the Bennie family. James Bennie and his wife Lydia were from Ontario, and they had three children ranging in age from 2 to 21. There was also a "hired man", William Alexander from Scotland, living with them.

Bennie was a teamster and owned his own rig and horse team, so the extra land and outbuildings were needed. It appears that to make a little money, he sold some of the land as the houses at 408 Salter and 422 Salter were constructed in 1905.

Sadly, their eldest child, Alex, was killed in 1907 at the age of 22.  He was a switchman on a train that was at the Vermillion, Alberta, CNR yard. He tripped over a switch while changing it, and a passing rail car ran over his leg and arm. He died soon after.

Alex was said to be "of good reputation and highly spoken of by his fellow employees on the road". His remains were returned to Winnipeg for burial.

The Binnies lived at the house until 1911. Classified ads show Mr. Bennie selling off his horse team and harnesses. The following year, he is listed as a carpenter, and the family had moved to St. James.

Source: Clearings, No. 4 CCS, Library and Archives Canada

The house then went through several short-term owners, which could suggest that it was either a rental property or that people found it too small to live in and were anxious to move on. It's curious with the amount of turnover that there aren't constant "for sale" or "for rent" ads in newspapers. None can be found until the 1950s.

It was home to John Dunsta, gardener at St. John's College in 1912-13, painter George Hargreaves in 1914, CPR policeman Neil McFetridge in 1915, and from 1917-1919 it was home to Jean Lockwood while her husband, John William Lockwood, was off at war.

John Lockwood was a veteran of the Boer War and was a clerk at the Winnipeg General Hospital when he enlisted in May 1916 at the age of 34. Given his medical experience, he was assigned to No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station and served in France and Belgium. He made it through the war without being injured, though he spent months in a hospital in England soon after arriving with pleurisy, and another hospital stay to recover from influenza in 1917.

It's unclear if Lockwood saw much of 412 Salter. According to his attestation papers, the couple lived on Einarson Avenue when he enlisted. Handwritten notes in his service file show that Jean moved several times while he was overseas. When he was discharged in June 1920, the couple moved to Queen Street in St. James, and he resumed his job at the hospital.

October 25, 1934, Winnipeg Tribune

The short-term owners continued through the 1920s.   

In 1931, Mr. Gertrude Cotte (or Catte) and her daughter Margaret moved in. She was a widow and had teenaged children, Margaret and Douglas. Margaret's 16th birthday was celebrated at the house. The Cottes remained until 1936.

Through the 1940s, this was home to Harold and Veronique Sinclair and their three children. Harold worked for the Winnipeg School Board as a school caretaker. It may have been Sinclair who sold off more of the property, as two more of the houses on the block were built in 1946 and 1948.

The home reverted back to short-term owners until 1956, when Mrs. Esther Greenberg moved in. Not a lot is known about Greenberg, as census data is not yet available for the 1950s, and she did not make the newspapers for any reason.

Greenberg lived there until at least 1964, which is when online versions of the street directory run out. (Manual copies can be seen at the Local History Room at the Millennium Library if someone wanted to trace residents up to 1999).

April 8, 1952, Winnipeg Free Press

This address does not appear in the newspapers in recent decades. There were a couple of "for sale" ads in the 1950s. It was described as a four room house with bath and hardwood floors and listed in 1952 for $4,300.

City records show that it sold in 2013 for $60,000, and the following year's Google Street View shows people mowing the front lawn.

412 Salter in 2009 and 2024, Google Street View

By 2024, the house was abandoned. It's unclear if it had a fire or condition issues. It was most recently listed for sale in May 2025. 

Ivy House - 495 Victor Street (R.I.P.)

© 2019, Christian Cassidy

 This "workers cottage" was constructed in 1905. It was 800 square feet with no basement. The first residents were a trio of loading bay workers, one of whom as employed by Eatons. In 1907, it was owned by John Evans, teamster.

In 1922, it was purchased by Cecil Frances Lloyd and his wife, Maud. For more about the poet and his tragic death here, see my West End Dumplings post.

The house was destroyed by fire in 2019.