Address: 169 Provencher Boulevard
Opened: 1938
Contractor: Unknown
From about 1909 to 1924, 169 Provencher Boulevard was home to Mrs. Anna Paradis, widow of Eugene, who raised a number of children there. In 1925, the address disappears from the street directory which suggests it was torn down.
The address reappears in 1937 as home to Couture Motors.
Le Manitoba, May 21, 1919
Couture Motors traced its history back to 1918 when Emile Couture partnered with Fred Gray to open the St. Boniface Garage on the west side of St. Joseph Street at Dumoulin. In the early 1920s, the name changed to Universal Motors with Couture as general manager.
Couture Motors sold new and used vehicles, (the former Universal Motors property behind the building was its main car lot.) It advertised as a Chrysler dealer from the 1940s through 1960s and from 1969 to 1995 was a Toyota dealership. Ads in the 1980s claimed it was Manitoba's oldest Toyota dealership.
Emile, who was born in St. Boniface in 1894, died in December 1989. Despite being in his mid-nineties, he was still the owner and operating manager of the business, though sons Denis and Claude had long been working at the business in leadership roles.
Claude died in 1995 and Denis decided to wind down the business. The next generation of Coutures consisted of three daughters who were not interested in taking over. The remaining new cars were sold off in 1995 and on September 24, 1997 they held an unreserved auction for the contents of the building.
The building then became home to City Centre Auto. Most recently, it was Provencher Autobody and Framework.
On February 19, 2020, the building suffered a major fire. (Also see.)
There was a son and 4 daughters not just 3
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