Manitoba Business: Saul and Irish Construction Company / W. A. Irish and Company

This construction company was founded by brothers-in-law John Alexander Saul and William Arthur Irish. It operated at Carberry and Virden before relocating to Winnipeg. Renamed W. A. Irish and Company after Saul's withdrawal around 1933, the company ceased operations in the late 1970s.

Some of its construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Blue Ribbon Building (Anne Building)	87 King Street (88 Arthur Street), Winnipeg	1901
Parkhill House	182 Spence Street, Winnipeg	1904
Ideal Bedding Building	288 Princess Street, Winnipeg	1904	Demolished (2017)
Bell Block	370 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1905
Ivanhoe Court	277 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg	1909
Linda Vista Apartments / Birchmont Apartments	171 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg	1910	Demolished (?)
Carlyle Apartments	580 Broadway, Winnipeg	1911
Eugene Apartments	834 Grosvenor Avenue, Winnipeg	1914
Enderton Building (restoration)	280-282 Hargrave Street / 328-338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1918	Demolished (1969)
Gem Café	357 Broadway, Winnipeg	1920	Demolished (?)
McArthur Building (renovations)	205-211 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1921	Demolished (1988)
Baroni Cafe (renovations)	307-311 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1923	Demolished (2012)
Albert Business Block (addition)	38-44 Albert Street, Winnipeg	1924	Destroyed by fire (19 April 2012)
Rose Theatre	799-801 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1926
Plaza Theatre	104-106 Marion Street, Winnipeg	1926	Demolished (?)
Forlong House	295 Dromore Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Parkleigh Apartments	265 Morley Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Woolworth Store (alterations)	400 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1928	Demolished (?)
Beaver Soap and Chemical Factory (addition)	1377 Winnipeg Avenue West, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Guy House	207 Lamont Boulevard, Winnipeg	1929
McKerchar Block (alterations)	600-602 Main Street, Winnipeg	1929
Peck Building (alterations)	33 Princess Street, Winnipeg	1929
Spera House (move)	2 Middle Gate, Winnipeg	1929
Safeway Store No. 506	595 Broadway, Winnipeg	1929
Safeway Store No. 507	893 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Safeway Store No. 509	1333 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Safeway Store No. 511	785 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1929	Demolished (?)
Safeway Store No. 513	577 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1929
Safeway Store No. 523	1411 Main Street, Winnipeg	1929
McRae and Griffith Garage and Auto Sales Building	Hargrave Street, Winnipeg	1929-1930	Demolished (?)
Clarendon Block (renovations)	307-311 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1930	Demolished (2012)
National Theatre (demolition)	300 Fort Street, Winnipeg	1930	Demolished (1930)
Scarsdale Apartments	71 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg	1930
Enderton Building (repairs)	280-282 Hargrave Street / 328-338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1932	Demolished (1969)
Bell Hotel (alterations)	662-664 Main Street, Winnipeg	1935
Parkhill Bedding Warehouse (addition)	280-282 Hargrave Street / 328-338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1935
Rubidge Block (renovations)	336-338 Colony Street, Winnipeg	1935	Demolished (?)
Enderton Building (renovations)	280-282 Hargrave Street / 328-338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1936	Demolished (1969)
Parkhill Bedding Warehouse (addition)	1270 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1936
Gowans Kent Building (alterations)	166-168 Market Avenue, Winnipeg	1937	Demolished (?)
Winnipeg General Hospital (addition)	Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg	1937
Enderton Building (renovations)	280-282 Hargrave Street / 328-338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1938	Demolished (1969)
Hudson’s Bay Company Wholesale Building (alterations)	77 Main Street, Winnipeg	1938
Metropolitan Store	360 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1941-1942	Demolished (?)
Agnew-Surpass Shoe Store (renovations)	338 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1947	Demolished (1969)

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: John Alexander Saul (1861-1939)

Memorable Manitobans: William Arthur Irish (1872-1941)

Sources:

“Will rebuild Enderton Block,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 June 1918, page 5.

“Insured by fall,” Manitoba Free Press, 14 August 1918, page 5.

“Permits are light [Gem Cafe],” Manitoba Free Press, 1 May 1920, page 7.

“Beautiful residence on Dromore Street,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 May 1928, page 36.

“Large factory and other big jobs this week,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 September 1928, page 11.

“Safeway stores receive four building permits,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 July 1929, page 3.

“Construction work in Winnipeg,” Manitoba Free Press, 17 August 1929, page 34.

“Whereabouts of Irish and Forlong unknown,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 February 1930, page 17.

“Fifty thousand in permits in first week of season,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 January 1932, page 11.

“Construction in Winnipeg quite; no new houses,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 June 1935, page 30.

“Construction in Winnipeg quiet; no new houses,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 1936, page 22.

“Bedding Company to enlarge plant here,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 February 1936, page 2.

“Building permits well below those of one year ago,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 March 1936, page 7.

“Building permits to value of $12,150 issued this year,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 January 1937, page 9.

“Hospital addition,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 February 1937, page 9.

“Splendid advance in construction work in Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 April 1937, page 30.

“Building permits ahead of 1937; many new homes,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 April 1938, page 14.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 November 2024