216 Princess Street - McLaughlin Carriage Works / Carriage Works Lofts

© 2026, Christian Cassidy

Place: McLaughlin Carriage Works Building, now Carriage Works Lofts
Address: Originally 204 Princess Street, now 216 Princess Street (Map)
Architect: James Cadham
Contractor: Philip Burnett
Constructed: 1902, extension in 1906

The McLaughlin Carriage Works was established in 1892 in Oshawa, Ontario, by Robert Samuel McLaughlin and two other family members.

McLaughlin visited Winnipeg in 1895 to check out business conditions and his horse-drawn carriages were soon being distributed in the West through the Cockshutt Plow Company. By 1899, the company's sales had grown enough that they hired Richard McKenzie and opened a sales and repair rented shop of their own on Princess Street behind city hall.

Another Oshawa executive visited the city in 1900 and declared that it was time to begin "making things hum in the West" for the company. 

In August 1902, McLaughlin Carriage Works paid $14,000 for the old Grand Union Hotel site at Princess Street and Ross Avenue and took out a building permit the following month for what would be their Western Canadian regional showroom and distribution centre.

The three-storey with basement building designed by architect James H. Cadham and built by Philip Burnett cost $20,000. It measured 50 feet wide by 95 feet long and backed onto a spur railway line for the easy delivery and shipment of vehicles. The main floor served as the showroom and offices with excess stock kept upstairs thanks to a large elevator.

Four years later, Cadham and Burnett teamed up again to build an identical 50-foot by 95-foot extension to the north of the original building. 

McLaughlin Carriage Works moved with the times and by 1908 had retooled its Oshawa plant to make motor cars using U.S.-made Buick engines. In turn, it manufactured the car bodies used by Buick in its Detroit plant.

The first McLaughlin motor car sold in Winnipeg was in 1909 to James William Ackland, the vice president of D. Ackland and Son, which sold carriage and blacksmith supplies.

In 1909, McLaughlin purchased a large piece of land at Portage Avenue and Maryland Street. This became its main warehouse and repair garages, whilst the Princess Street building remained its showroom and sales floor. Even after a major fire in 1911 that which destroyed several vehicles, the Princess Street building was repaired and went back into service as a showroom. 

Sales for MacLauchlin cars boomed. Newspaper ads from 1916, celebrating the company's 50th anniversary, boasted that its newly expanded Oshawa plant was the "largest carriage plant" in the British Empire.

The man who oversaw McLaughlin's Winnipeg operations, which initially served all of Western Canada, was Richard McKenzie. 

Born in Ontario, McKenzie came West in 1880 and worked as a blacksmith at Calgary and Vancouver, specializing in the railway and carriage trade, before settling in Manitou, Manitoba.

A specialty service at McKenzie's Manitou blacksmith shop was the modification of carriages, including McLaughlins, for travel in deep snow and other rural uses. It was so successful that at one point, he had eight men working for him.

This work got noticed by McLaughlin, and McKenzie was invited to come to Winnipeg in 1899 and open a shop to oversee the repair and modifications of their carriages.  That position soon became McLaughlin's Western Canadian manager who appointed sales and repair dealers throughout the region. 

McKenzie followed the company's changeover from carriages to cars. When McLaughlin was bought out (see below), he became the Western Canadian manager for General Motors of Canada.

McKenzie gave up that position in 1927 but stayed on as manager of the Winnipeg office until shortly before his death in March 1931, aged 72, at his home at 125 Mayland Street.

November 2, 1918, Winnipeg Free Press

The McLaughlin Carriage Company and McLaughlin Motor Company were purchased in 1918 by General Motors of Detroit, Michigan. They were merged with the Chevrolet Motor Company of Canada and GMC Trucks to create General Motors of Canada Ltd.

R. S. McLauchlan was appointed as the company's first president and his brother George was its vice-president.

February 4, 1922, Winnipeg Tribune

It took some time for the McLauchlan Motor Company name to disappear from Canada. Cars were marketed as McLauchlin or McLauchlin-Buick until the middle of the Second World War.

The McLaughlin Carriage Works building on Princess Street continued to be the main showroom for the line until 1922, when a new one was built at its other property at Portage Avenue and Maryland Street. The building then became the McLaughlin "used car headquarters" until it was sold off around 1926.

The building's association with the automobile industry continued for a couple more years as it reopened in 1928 as the used car showroom for McRae and Griffith Ltd., a Chevrolet dealer on Cumberland Avenue. It closed in early 1930, likely as a result of the Depression.

November 3, 1931, Winnipeg Tribune

The building did not sit empty for long before it became a Depression relief dining hall.

Early in the Depression, the city tried to deal with the growing number of hungry single men by feeding them restaurant food. As their ranks grew, both locals and those coming from the countryside to look for work in the big city, this became unmanageable. A system of dining halls was set up that would be run by the commission's Single Men's Relief Committee and largely funded by the federal government.

By January 1932, there were five halls in the city feeding around 5,000 men two meals per day. They were managed by Richard A. Murphy, superintendent of the Single Men’s Relief Department, who had his office and administration staff at the 204 Princess Street location.

The number of men swelled to 6,000 by 1936, but the city and commission concentrated their efforts on just two dining hall sites. One was 204 Princess, which had been expanded by opening up the top floors. The other was Winnipeg's original relief dining hall on Water Street, a former CNR immigration shed that also offered a couple of hundred bunks to sleep in at night.

The two meals, breakfast and dinner, were hearty and nutritious as the idea was to keep the men healthy for when the economy improved or when they were needed for the myriad of Depression relief employment schemes. These included everything from land drainage projects, road building, and the construction of facilities such as the Sherbrook Pool and Civic Auditorium. 

January 25, 1936, Winnipeg Tribune

The Winnipeg Tribune's city editor, A. V. Thomas, visited the Princess Street dining hall as a client in January 1936.

Breakfast was served cafeteria-style from 7 am to 9 am with unlimited bowls of porridge and milk, potatoes, and bread with butter, honey, and jam. Sausages, sausage meat and bacon were rotated from day to day to vary the menu.

For dinner, it was a rotation of stew, roast beef, roast mutton, or rolled veal with potatoes and vegetables and a dessert of stewed fruit or bread pudding. Roast pork was reserved for Sunday dinners.

In all, 3,000 men came for each meal that day. They were welcome to smoke or play cards in a common space, but once meal service time was over, the building was emptied for cleaning and to start preparing the next meal.

July 14, 1936, Winnipeg Tribune

For the most part, the dining halls were well-received.

There were at times complaints about overcrowding, worn dishes, and cleanliness. The latter was aimed mainly at the Water Avenue site, which was in an old building with poor ventilation and a combined food service and sleeping bunks under one roof. Princess Street was relatively modern with large windows for ventilation and concrete floors for easy disinfection.

The menus may have sounded like those from a restaurant, but there were complaints about the food at times.

When there were shortages, the halls relied on serving stew, which got monotonous. The quantity of meals that needed to be served each day meant that some food was prepared in advance and heated up for service.

There was also the culinary competency of some of the kitchen staff, who were often recruited from the ranks of the jobless. One letter to the editor complained that "Some of the cooks at Princess hall couldn't boil water, let alone cook a meal."

In late 1937, the dining hall system began to wind down with the closure of Water Avenue. Princess Street followed in the summer of 1938.

In the six years between November 15, 1932, when the Single Men's Relief Committee took over the serving of meals at the halls, and June 30, 1938, when the last meal was cooked, a total of 17,533,366 meals were served. The majority of these, 13,163,040, were from the Princess Street dining hall.

December 12, 1942, Winnipeg Tribune

A new chapter for 204 Princess Street began in 1942, when it became the new Western Canadian headquarters for Beatty Brothers, which had been located on Notre Dame Avenue and Midfield Street for 30 years. The building housed its sales floor, a warehouse, parts depot and regional offices.

Beatty Bros. was established in Fergus, Ontario, in 1874 and originally specialized in metal supplies for stables and farms: horse stalls, fencing, hay forks, and the like. The company eventually added home appliances such as electric washing machines, furnaces, and irons. In the 1920s, Beatty's ads claimed its Fergus factory was the largest manufacturer of electric washing machines in the British Empire.

The company retooled its factories for wartime production and struggled to regain its big slice of the Canadian appliance market after the war. Beatty Bros. was sold off in 1961 to General Steel Wares, and the Princess Avenue warehouse and showroom closed soon after.

The Icelandic Canadian, Summer 1967

It was after this point that the building was subdivided into multiple units and several small companies, usually with a manufacturing component, occupied the building at the same time.

From ca. 1962 to 1968, number 204 Princes Street housed Atlas Upholstery, a furniture store, upholsterer and manufacturer of curtains. Around the same period, number 208 was Corrin and Sons Ltd., manufacturers of children's coats and jackets.

In the 1970s, Permalite Electric Manufacturing, Park Leather Ltd. (clothing manufacturers), Neepawa Sportswear, and Beltex Ltd. of Canada all called it home at some point. 

Carter's Auction House moved into number 208 in 1987 and eventually took over the entire building. It relocated after it merged with Grey's Auction in the late 1990s.

Black's Auction took over the building in 1999 and appears to have ceased trading in 2001. For the next 16 years, it was used for miscellaneous storage. 

With the building stuck in limbo as a storage facility and deteriorating as each year passed, CentreVenture, the arms-length development agency of the City of Winnipeg, bought it and the neighbouring Scott Memorial Hall in December 2017 with the hopes of spurring their redevelopment. 

Given the size of the properties, CentreVenture created a partnership between themselves, a private developer, and a non-profit arts group to redevelop the space. 

The Scott Memorial Hall suffered a foundation failure as its renovation into a mixed-use residential building got underway, and it was demolished in early 2020. A new six-storey mixed-use tower was built in its place.

The redevelopment of the older building was completed in 2022.

The tower and upper floors are now 77 rental suites that are owned and operated by Space 2 Developers. The largest of the main floor commercial units is the gallery of aceartinc, which opened in April 2022.

Both buildings now have the single address 216 Princess Street and are known collectively as the Carriage Works.

Related:

Carriage Works Website
Charm not without talent Winnipeg Free Press (Sep 2021)
Winnipeg has new artist-run gallery Winnipeg Free Press
Grand opening of Carriage Works Project Heritage Winnipeg (2022)
208 Princess Street Historic Building Report City of Winnipeg (includes old interior photos)
Mandate Discussion Report CentreVenture (2024)
2021 Annual Report CentreVenture

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. 

515 Waterfront Drive - Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Co. Building (R.I.P.)

 © 2026, Christian Cassidy

Place: Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Co. Building
Address: 25 May Street, now 515 Waterfront Drive
Constructed: 1905
Demolished: April 2026
Architect: John Woodman
Contractors: Waterworth and Fee

I'm sad about this building. In the heydey of construction along Waterfront Drive, I thought that this would be a super building to convert into residences. It's right on the water, should have been well built as it was a metal manufacturing plant, had plenty of space next to it for parking or a modern entrance, and loads of windows! Rest in peace.

April 5, 1905, Manitoba Free Press

This building was constructed in 1905 for the Montreal-based Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Company Ltd, "makers of enameled steel ware, pressed pieces, and jappaned tinware." 

It was designed by local architect John Woodman, who had just worked on Winnipeg's massive Eaton's department store.

In May 1905, the construction tender was let to the short-lived firm of Waterworth and Fee on McDermot Avenue. It also constructed the initial Marshall Wells building on Market Avenue, though not its 1906 four-storey addition.

The brick and stone building measured 60 feet x 120 feet, was four storeys* tall with a "tall basement" and cost between $45,000 and $50,000 to construct. A Tribune article noted that "it is of heavy mill construction and equipped with electric elevators and all kinds of modern machinery."

(*Yes, I realize it appears to be three storeys tall, the tender and article after its opening mention four.  This could be due to the "tall basement", or the 1944 may have required a floor to be removed.)

It originally advertised with an address of 25 May Street, but later became 15 May Street. May was changed to Waterfront Drive around 2002.

November 22, 1919, Winnipeg Tribune

Under general manager J. Taylor Webb, the plant manufactured enamel plates, metal cutlery, tin shingles for outbuildings, enamelled advertising signs, and canisters for food products. For the most part, its dealings were with industry, so it did not need to advertise in local newspapers. One exception was marketing its own stove briefly in the 19-teens.

In late 1927, what the Canadian Press called "one of the largest industrial mergers in the history of the Dominion" took place when the McClary Manufacturing Co. of London, Ontario, Sheet Metal Products of Canada Ltd, Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Co. of Montreal, and a couple of smaller entities agreed to merge into a single General Steel Wares Company.

This appears to have  been the end for Davidson in Winnipeg. The 1928 street directory shows this address containing "McLeod's Ltd. warehouse no. 4."

By 1936, the building was vacant and was purchased the following year by By 1937, clothing manufacturer J. L. Morton and Co. It took out a $5,000 permit to upgrade its electrical.

Morton did not need the entire building, so it rented warehouse space to Falcon Hardware, a division of Merchants Consolidated, and the United Stores grocery chain.

A huge fire took place at the building in 1944, wiping out much of Morton's clothing and material. After that, the company disappeared, and its space was filled by a couple of smaller companies.

Falcon Hardware ghost sign on north wall

By the early 1950s, Merchants Consolidated owned the building and used it as its goods warehouse and distribution centre for its various divisions, such as Solo, Allied Hardware, and Family Fare.

It's likely that the company remained here until 1973, when a new distribution centre was opened in Transcona that consolidated its offices and various warehouses around the inner city.

Vitafoam Products Canada Ltd. of Toronto, now known as the VPC Group, appear to have first established a Winnipeg plant in 1975, thanks to an economic development grant of $30,000.

The company produced polyurethane foam for cushions, mattresses, carpet underlay, and other applications.

It's unclear when the factory closed. As late as 2017, Vita Foam trucks can be seen in the loading bay.

A search of the city's meeting agendas show no zoning or variance hearings for the land.

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.

28 Woodrow Place - Gloucester Apartments

© 2026, Christian Cassidy

Name: Gloucester Apartments
Address: 28 Woodrow Place (Map)
Built: 1914

November 15, 1913, Winnipeg Tribune

Woodrow Place was subdivided in 1913 and the lots were marketed by real estate firm Aikins and Peplar. A tender to lay a sewer along the street was let in June 1914, and one for paving the roadway came the following month.

Gloucester Apartments, sometimes referred to as Gloucester Court in early street directories, was constructed in 1914. The architect of the building is not known. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the builder was George E. Baldry who specialized in small apartment blocks.

There does not appear to have been any grand opening ads or even early "for rent" ads by a rental company, which suggests the block was able to rent by word of mouth. Apartment blocks were popular during wartime as many families or couples downsized when the "man of the house" was off at war.

The building was inhabited by the end of 1914, as a classified ad to sublet a suite appeared in a December 1914 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. Later for rent ads show that the suites boasted balconies, electric appliances, and fireplaces.

1916 Census of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

The 1916 census shows the building housed many young couples and several families. The heads of households had occupations such as bookkeepers, lawyers, an auditor, and a doctor.

Several 1920s wedding notices mention the block, so it was also popular for newlyweds to start their married lives.

In January 1915, Evelyn Nicholson and Allan Bell had their wedding reception in suite 10. They were still living there in 1916 when they had their first child. Sybill Howes and Timothy Lemoine had their wedding ceremony in suite 5 in April 1927.

September 13, 1919, Winnipeg Tribune

Several men associated with the Gloucester Apartments were involved in the First World War, and all appear to have made it home alive. (The same can be said for the Second World War.)

Douglas Newcombe was included in a Winnipeg Tribune photo spread of babies that would meet their fathers for the first time when C. K. Newcombe's troop train arrived in Winnipeg in September 1919.

Several doctors lived in the building over the decades. This was no doubt thanks to its proximity to the Misericordia Hospital across the street and the Winnipeg General Hospital at the other end of the Sherbrook streetcar line.

A prominent resident of the building was Doctor W. Russell Gorrell.

Originally from Pilot Mound, he graduated from the University of Manitoba's School of Medicine in 1915. After practicing in Minnedosa for 12 years, he came to Winnipeg around 1930.

Gorrell was made the province's acting provincial coroner in 1940, and the appointment was made permanent in 1942. He lived at suite 10 with his wife and died at the residence in February 1946.

The man who was appointed assistant coroner under Gorrell, Dr. Irvin O. Fryer, eventually moved to suite 5 of Gloucester Apartments with his wife around 1944. When Gorrell died, Fryer took over as provincial coroner.

Raised in the Sanford, Manitoba area, Fryer graduated from the University of Manitoba's Medical School in 1913 and worked as a doctor in the Virden area before coming to Winnipeg. He retired as provincial coroner in 1971 at the age of 85. During his tenure, he ruled on the deaths of 23,000 Manitobans and was involved in some very high-profile coroner's inquests.

Remarkably, Fryer still lived at the Gloucester Apartments in 1980. That year, he was one of thousands of Winnipeggers who signed a petition against skyrocketing rents across the city. He told the Winnipeg Tribune that his proposed rent increase for the year went from $195 to $300 per month. He said the increase was unwarranted considering the deteriorating conditions inside the building., "I don't think they've painted the walls in my apartment in 30 years".

A couple of years later, Fryer relocated to B.C. to be nearer to his daughter, as his wife and son had predeceased him. A 1986 Barry Mullin column in the Free Press noted that at age 100 Fryer still lived independently and played golf as often as he could.

Fryer died in February 1987 at the age of 101.

Mrs. Ethel Stone, originally from Brandon, was the wife of military man Major William R. Stone. (He may have at one time been a commanding officer in the Royal Horse Artillery.)  The couple moved a lot, but returned to Winnipeg briefly in the early 1930s and lived at suite 6  of the Gloucester Apartments in 1933 – 34.

Mrs. Stone made the building a very busy place. She regularly held teas and other functions, usually to welcome senior military members and their families who had transferred to Winnipeg, or to see them off when they left.  Her most ambitious event appears to be a New Year’s Eve dinner in 1933 for military bigwigs before they went off to the big dance at Fort Osborne Barracks.

The building appears to have had a quiet existence. No newspaper stories about major crimes, unsavoury deaths, or fires can be found.

In the 2010s, the building was converted from an apartment block to Winnipeg Condominium Corporation No. 744.

Despite some building renovations, its age, lack of maintenance, and proximity to the river began to catch up to it. In March 2018, owners were notified that the building required at least $171, 625 worth of immediate work to address water damage and the removal of unsafe fire escapes and sunrooms. Foundation and other work that was needed brought the total repair bill to $1.1 million.

The cost was too much for some owners, and the city acquired units 1, 2, 3 and 15 in October 18, 2018 through the tax sale process. it sold them off in 2019.

Also in 2019, an offer to purchase the building was made to the Condominium Corporation. It is unclear if the building was sold. Google Street View shows the building was still inhabited in 2022.

The Gloucester was eventually vacated and boarded up. It then suffered interior fires in December 2024 and December 2025. 

It is currently for sale for $199,000 as a teardown property due to significant foundation failure and interior damage.

121 Kate Street - Private Residence

 © 2026, Christian Cassidy

Place: Private Residence
Address: 121 Kate Street
Constructed: 1882
Architect: Unknown

T. M. Fowler's Bird's Eye View of Winnipeg, 1881. Juno Street top right. (Source)

This house at 121 Kate Street, with its intricate brickwork, was built in 1882 for William Ashdown Sr.. He was the father of hardware tycoon and one-time mayor James Ashdown.

Lots around McDermot Avenue and Kate Street were once part of the A. G. B. Bannatyne estate and this section of it was sold off for development in 1881. It could be considered an early suburb of Winnipeg, offering close proximity to the commercial district around city hall but situated far enough from the hustle, bustle and pollution of its factories and warehouses to make it attractive for middle and upper middle class residents to live. 

The above excerpt from Fowler's 1881 Bird's Eye View of Winnipeg shows Juno Street under development.

September 23, 1882, Winnipeg Daily Sun

The Winnipeg Daily Sun of September 23, 1882, explored the housing being built in the neighborhood. It noted that this house, originally numbered 7 Kate Street, cost $4,200 and, “It has a spacious parlour, large kitchen, handsome library… It is nicely laid out and deserving of its occupant.” 

The property included a stable and out kitchen.

Google Maps showing back-to-back houses

The article went on to mention that George Ashdown, one of William's sons, was finishing up a house with a stable at 120 Juno Street. The two properties backed onto each other and extended through to Bannatyne Avenue, creating a little family compound.

The Ashdowns did not stay here long. By 1887, William Sr. was quite ill and had moved in with James. When James built his new home at 337 Broadway in 1889, both William and George reided there.

William Ashdown died in 1902 at the age of 84.

July 6, 1891, Winnipeg Tribune

John O'Donohue and family were the next residents of the home, circa 1890. Born in Ireland, he came to Winnipeg from London, Ontario and established a farm implement store on King Street. He lived here with his wife Ellsie, and daughters Kate, Hattie, Ida, and Baby, who ranged in age from 13 to 22. 

O'Donohue was a promoter of more Irish Catholic immigration to the West. He was on the executive of the local St. Patrick's Society and in 1894 was elected to the school board. Daughter Kate, a school teacher, became principal of Pinkham School in 1893.

Tragedy struck the family when their youngest daughter, Baby, died at the home in April 1892, aged 16. No cause of death was given. Perhaps as a result of her death, the family moved the following year to Balmoral Street.

March 6, 1882, Winnipeg Free Press

The next resident was photographer Israel Bennetto and family in 1893. At the time, Bonnetto and his wife, Anna Lauretta, were in their early thirties with two young children, Litta and Israel Jr.. A third, Marjory, was born in 1897. (Read more about Bennetto here.)

Bennetto was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1860 and came to Winnipeg in 1880, and soon opened Bennetto and Co. photography studio on Main Street. He was one of just four or five five photography firms listed in the street directories of the early 1880s.

By 1891, the studio was located at 436 Main Street and sold photography supplies and stock images of events and street scenes around the city. This was a common practice for photographers as an additional income stream and way to generate publicity for their services.

One of the most famous photos attributed to Bennetto and Co. is this iconic image of Louis Riel that is still used today. (It's unclear if it was Bennetto himself who took the shot.)

Bennetto ca. 1884, City of Winnipeg Archives

Bennetto was an executive member of the Knights of Pythius and dabbled in property speculation, as many businessmen did back then. He closed his studio in 1906 and spent most of his time in real estate.

A later newspaper recollection of the house's history from a former neighbour said that during the early Bennetto years, the property still extended to Bannatyne and the family kept a cow in the stable.

It appears that in later years, Bennetto subdivided parts of the property and sold them as residential lots.  Assessment records show that all of the houses along the north side of Bannatyne between Kate and Juno streets, and a house next door to 120 Juno, were built in 1903. The large apartment at Bannatyne and Kate, famous for being on the cover of the Guess Who's So Long Bannatyne album cover, was built in 1910. 

August 1917 classified ad, Winnipeg Tribune

After the Benettos, the Finch family moved in ca. 1911. It consisted of Mrs. Martha J. Finch, widow of James, and seven children ranging in age from 13 to 27. There was also an elderly couple, Robert and Sophie Austin, perhaps her parents(?), who lived here as well.

The Finches remained at the house until around 1915, then it sat empty for a year or two. When it came back on the market in 1917, it had been bought by investors and converted into suites.

Classified ads can be found in 1917 offering a main floor suite for rent, and the following year for two suites on the upper floor. 

December 30, 1920, Winnipeg Tribune

In 1920, the rooms were listed as "room and board", which meant that rent included "LH", (light housekeeping), and at least on meal per day. These services would have been provided by someone living in the main suite, often a housewife whose kids had moved out or a widow, as a way of earning extra income. 

During its time as a rental property, lodgers at 121 Kate included:

1917 - 1920: Frederick P. Dawson, a clerk at the railway mail service.

1919: Leopolde Caron, dressmaker. Emma Hansen, a telephone clerk.

1920: Walter Sellers, gardener, with his wife and at least one adult child. Margaret William, an Eatons clerk. Helen Zinger, a milner at Eatons. 

1925: Martin A. Young, an accountant at Dr. White Medical Co.. Charles Wilson, an Eatons employee. Charles Brewer, an Eatons employee.

January 20, 1976, Winnipeg Free Press

The next owner of the house was Jacob J. Hildebrand and his wife Katharina in 1932.  Hildebrand is listed as retired during his time here, and it is unclear what his occupation was, as his obituary is very brief.

A possible identity comes in the street directories of the late 1920s. There was a Jacob J. Hildebrand listed, who was the "special representative,  CN Express", the cargo division of the CNR. Around the same time, there were newspaper mentions of "J J Hildebrand" from Mennonite Immigration Aid of Winnipeg welcoming trains with new Mennonites arriving in Western Canada. This was likely the same man.

This J. J. Hildebrand, sometimes using the 121 Kate Street as an address, wrote several lengthy letters to the Editor of the Free Press and Tribune in the mid to late 1930s in favour of Germany's rising prominence in the world.

August 20, 1965, Winnipeg Free Press

The longest-term owners of the house were Erik and Tekla Moberg, who originated from Sweden. They arrived at 121 Kate in 1941 and raised five sons here. The couple were heavily involved in Grant Memorial Baptist Church

Mr. Moberg was a carpenter by trade, first an independent contractor, then working for the provincial government in the 1950s and 1960s. 

There was some excitement at the house in August 1965, when a neighbourhood youth decided to do some target practice in the nearby back lane. One of the bullets ricocheted and went through the kitchen window while Mrs. Moberg and one of her sons were in it. It narrowly missed Mrs. Moberg, who later told a Free Press reporter, "I'm five feet two and I'm glad of it."

Tekla died in 1969, and Erik lived here until shortly before his death in March 1987 at Princess Elizabeth Hospital at the age of 87. An estate sale was held at the house later that year.

June 6, 1987 Open House and, Winnipeg Free Press

The house was then sold to John Cardoso and family. (Likely this John Cardoso, who ran for public office several times.)

It was during this time that the house received a Grade II historical building designation from the city for being a fine example of what was a dwindling number of early 1880s Queen Anne brick residences. The designation allowed the owner to apply for a small grant to help renovate the property.

This, and hundreds of other lower-level listed buildings, were purged from the historic buildings list circa 2011, and it currently has no historical designation. This is the historical building assessment of the building originally written in 1988.

The house at 121 Kate Street still stands and is well maintained. Close-up images of the building and some interior shots can be found in the city's historical building assessment.