Memorable Manitobans: Herbert Edward Matthews (1868-1941)

Architect.

Born at London, Ontario on 24 March 1868, son of Richard Fitzgerald Matthews and Jane Fitzgerald, he trained as an architect with George P. Durand at London. He then moved to Toronto where he worked as an architect with the firm of Darling & Curry. He moved to New York City in 1893 to work with architect Charles C. Haight for a time, returning to London in early 1894. He opened his own architectural practice and designed the London Public Library and several public schools. After practicing briefly with William D. Murray, he closed his practice in 1905 and moved to Winnipeg. He formed a brief partnership (1910-1911) with Fred F. Le Maistre, and served as President of the Manitoba Association of Architects (1914). He was district resident architect in the Dominion Department of Public Works from 1921 until his retirement in 1938.

On 4 January 1897, he married Bertha Maud Collins (1873-1935) at Lambton, Ontario and they had a daughter, Katharine Jane Matthews (1912-?). The family lived at 940 Macmillan Avenue (c1935).

He died at his Winnipeg residence, 401 Kingston Crescent, on 7 December 1941 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Dwight House (H. P. Dwight)	Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg	1905
Perrin Warehouse	130 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg	1905
Simpson House (W. J. Simpson)	95 Academy Road, Winnipeg	1905
Aldous Building	376 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1905
Aldous Building Annex	374 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1905
Weldon Block	Donald Street at Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1905
Bell Warehouse	132-134 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg	1906
Winnipeg Casket Factory	740 Dufferin Avenue, Winnipeg	1907
St. Matthews Anglican Church / West End Cultural Centre	586 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg	1908
Keewayden Building / Crawley Building	138 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg	1909
Aldous Building (addition)	376 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1909
Bell Block (addition)	370 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1909
Boylston Apartments / Congress Apartments	300 River Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Aldous Building Annex (addition)	374 Donald Street, Winnipeg	1911
Byrnes House (Henry B. Byrnes)	233 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
Hayward Block	462 Brandon Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
Rothesay Apartments	828 Preston Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
McGregor Armoury	551 Machray Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church	641 St. Matthews Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
Minto Armoury	969 St. Matthews Avenue, Winnipeg	1914

Sources:

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Ontario marriage registration [Hubert Edward Matthews, Bertha Maud Collins], Ancestry.

Birth registration [Katharine Jane Matthews], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Death registrations [Bertha Maud Matthews, Herbert Edward Matthew], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Bertha M. Matthews], Winnipeg Tribune, 5 July 1935, page 6.

Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 8 December 1941, page 21.

Winnipeg Building Index

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

Herbert Edward Matthews - Church Architect, Fadedgenes - A Chronicle of the People of the Methodist Church in Canada.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 10 September 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!