Memorable Manitobans: Hugh Gordon Holman (1881-1955)

Hugh Gordon Holman Click to enlarge

Architect.

Born at Stratford, Ontario on 28 November 1881, son of Frederick Joseph and Catherine Holman, he was educated at public schools and the Stratford Collegiate Institute. In 1895, he articled as an architect with H. J. Powell at Stratford. He later came to Manitoba and engaged as architectural draftsman with J. H. G. Russell from 1901 to 1903, Samuel Hooper from 1903 to 1905, and the Manitoba Provincial Government from 1905 to 1906. He practiced briefly with Vere Barton and under his own name from 1906 to 1909 then formed a short-lived architectural firm of Holman and Prain in 1910, in partnership with Edgar Prain. After serving overseas in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he returned to Stratford (1920-1922) then moved to Toronto where he died on 27 October 1955.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Roslyn Court	701 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (1970)
St. Margaret’s Anglican Church	Home Street at Buell Street, Winnipeg	1908
Ryan House	57 Middle Gate, Winnipeg	1909
Oliver Block	282 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg	1909
Eastman Building	324 Young Street, Winnipeg	1910
Ryan House Sunroom	99 Middle Gate, Winnipeg	1910
Scott House (Fred W. Scott)	190 Kingsway Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
St. Regis Hotel (addition and alterations)	281-285 Smith Street, Winnipeg	1909	Demolished (2020)
Taylor House	102 First Street SW, Portage la Prairie	1912-1913
Killam House	6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg	1914

Sources:

Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.

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

Crescentwood, A History by R. R. Rostecki, Winnipeg: Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.

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

Winnipeg Building Index.

We thank Nathan Kramer and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 13 August 2024

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: 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 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!