Memorable Manitobans: William Alexander Elliott (1866-1957)

Architect.

Born at Wingham, Ontario on 18 August 1866, son of John Elliott and Annie Irwin, he was educated at local schools and at Degolia, Pennsylvania, leaving school at the age of 15 to work for three years on the family farm. In 1886, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to London, England in charge of a shipment of cattle, returning the next year to apprentice as a carpenter at Auburn, Ontario. He moved to Toronto in early 1889 then on to Chicago the next year. He worked for the Chicago Edison Light Company from 1891 to 1893 installing electric light equipment. While there he took a course in architecture at the Chicago Polytechnic Institute. Ill health compelled him to return to Canada.

In 1894 he went to New York City, taking a three-year course in architecture from the Pallace School of Architecture. He then opened an architectural practice at Anaconda, Montana, staying there until 1899 when he moved to Brandon and continued to work as an architect. A few years later, he opened a branch office at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In April 1913, he was appointed an inspector for the new Legislative Building being constructed in Winnipeg.

On 9 November 1898, he married Hester Eldridge (1879-1946) at Anaconda, Montana. They had eight children: Egbert Eldridge Elliott (1899-1971), Louis John Elliott (1901-?), William Harris Elliott (1902-?), Allegra Elliott (1903-?), Stanley Henderson Elliott (1904-?), James Alexander Elliott (1906-?), Justice Henderson Elliott (1909-?), and Myrtle Elliott (1911-?). During the winter the family resided at 116 Eleventh Street, Brandon and in the summer they lived at the corner of Fourth Street and Richmond Avenue. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was active in conservative politics in Brandon. He performed throughout Canada and the USA in an orchestra, with his wife and children, called “The Elliott Family Orchestra.”

He died at Vancouver, British Columbia on 2 April 1957 and was buried there.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Hillview Church	Oak Lake, RM of Sifton	1902
Rapid City School	Rapid City, RM of Oakview	1902
Yukon Block	934 Rosser Avenue, Brandon	1902
Bank of Montreal	940 Rosser Avenue, Brandon	1903
First Baptist Church	1037 Lorne Avenue, Brandon	1903-1904
Brookdale School No. 1299	Brookdale, Municipality of North Cypress-Langford	1904
Park School / West Ward School	Lorne Avenue, Brandon	1904-1905
Baldur School No. 667	Baldur, RM of Argyle	1905
Hamilton Bank	Neepawa	1905
Merchants Bank	Napinka, Municipality of Brenda-Waskada	1905
Melita School No. 440	41 Ash Street, Melita	1905
Christie House	404 Thirteenth Street, Brandon	1905
Clark Hall (Brandon University)	Eighteenth Street, Brandon	1906
Empire Brewing Company Bottling House and Warehouse	First Street, Brandon	1906
IOOF Hall	Rapid City, RM of Oakview	1906
Johnson House	446 Seventh Street, Brandon	1906
Brandon Collegiate Institute	Louise Avenue, Brandon	1906-1907
Oak River School No. 253	Oak River, RM of Oakview	1906-1907	Destroyed by fire (1908)
Brandon Winter Fair Buildings	Eleventh Street, Brandon	1907
Souris Methodist Church	47 Fifth Street West, Souris, Municipality of Souris-Glenwood	1907-1908
Brandon Court House	1104 Princess Avenue, Brandon	1908-1910
Rivers Consolidated School No. 1484	Rivers, Municipality of Riverdale	1909-1910
Victoria Methodist Church	Fifteenth Street, Brandon	1909-1910
Cecil Hotel	30 Tenth Street, Brandon	1910	Destroyed by fire (1981)
Sinclair School No. 1051	Sinclair, RM of Pipestone	1910	Demolished (?)
Trafalgar Hotel	Belmont, RM of Prairie Lakes	1910	Destroyed by fire (2 November 1919)
Elkhorn School No. 366	Elkhorn, RM of Wallace-Woodworth	1910	Demolished (?)
Central Fire Hall	637 Princess Avenue, Brandon	1911
Newdale School No. 431	Newdale, RM of Harrison Park	1911	Demolished (?)
St. Matthew’s Anglican Cathedral	Thirteenth Street, Brandon	1912-1913
Virden Municipal Building and Auditorium	228 Wellington Street West, Virden	1911-1912
Pipestone Municipal Building	401 Third Avenue, Reston, RM of Pipestone	1917
Wawanesa Insurance Building	107 Fourth Street, Wawanesa, Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa	1930
Rounthwaite School No. 1067	Rounthwaite, Municipality of Oakland- Wawanesa	?
Burchill and Howey Block	908 Rosser Avenue, Brandon	?

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Elliott House (210 Thirteenth Street, Brandon)

Sources:

Birth registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

“Two lives are lost in fire at Belmont,” Free Press Prairie Farmer, 5 November 1919, page 3.

Death registration, British Columbia Vital Statistics.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Charmeyn Sinclaire, Nathan Kramer, and Rob McInnes for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 24 August 2023

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!