Memorable Manitobans: William Horner (1860-1916)

Building contractor.

Born at Newby Wiske, Yorkshire, England in 1860, he apprenticed as a bricklayer and mason before emigrating to Canada. He arrived in Winnipeg at the age of 21 and worked as a contractor ether alone or with partners including W. J. Hodgins. He died at his Winnipeg home, 494 Spence Street, on 22 October 1916. He was survived by a widow, two sons, and two daughters.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Bryan House	49 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg	1901	Demolished (?)
Porter Building	368-370 Main Street, Winnipeg	1902	Demolished (?)
McCutcheon House	Edmonton Street, Winnipeg	1902	Demolished (?)
Watrous Engine Works Warehouse	157 Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg	1902	Demolished (?)
Vendome Hotel (addition)	308 Fort Street, Winnipeg	1902
Codville Spice Mill	Lombard Avenue East, Winnipeg	1903	Demolished (?)
Vendome Hotel (addition)	308 Fort Street, Winnipeg	1904
Drewry Brewery (alterations and additions)	Redwood Avenue, Winnipeg	1904-1910	Demolished (?)
Crispo House	52 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg	1905
Horner House	494 Spence Street, Winnipeg	1905
Central Congregational Church (addition and alterations)	374 Hargrave Street, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (1936)
Ripstein Block	172-182 Logan Avenue / 48 Martha Street, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (1940)
Mills Block	1000 Main Street, Winnipeg	1908
Ryan House	99 Middle Gate, Winnipeg	1910
Galt House	460 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg	1910	Demolished (?)
Union Bank Building	646 Logan Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Inkster House	145 Bannerman Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
White House	147 Bannerman Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
Sutherland Hotel (addition)	785 Main Street, Winnipeg	1913

Sources:

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Wm. Horner, 56, builder, dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 October 1916, page 3.

“494 Spence Street, William Horner House” by Murray Peterson, February 2009.

“147 Bannerman Avenue, Archibald E. White House” by Murray Peterson, February 2009.

“785 Main Street, Sutherland (Cosmopolitan) Hotel” by Murray Peterson, February 2009.

“308 Fort Street - Vendome Hotel” by Murray Peterson, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, February 2016.

“306 Ross Avenue, Leadlay Building” by Murray Peterson, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, May 2019.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 16 May 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: 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!