This structure on the west side of Albert Street near Notre Dame Avenue consists of two parts: a house dating from 1877, and a commercial addition made in 1924.
A two-storey wood frame and brick veneer house was built on the site in 1877 by local contractor J. J. Johnston as a rental property for John O. LeCappellain. In March 1882, the house was moved several feet to the south to make way for construction of a two-storey business block. When LeCappellain experienced financial difficulties in 1885, title to the building transferred to the Manitoba and North West Loan Company.
The house had residential tenants until early in the 20th century when it was converted to commercial use by a new owner, agent R. H. Moody. Successive occupants included the weekly French-language newspaper L’Echo de Manitoba, a messenger service, and a tailor. In 1924, the house was surrounded by a one-storey, brick block with a flat roof designed and built by W. A. Irish and Company. Initially, it contained four retail stores: a barber shop, a tailor, a watch shop, and a safe works. The house, no longer visible from the street, then returned to residential use.
The buildings were extensively damaged in a fire on 19 April 2012 and the remains, a former municipally-designated historic site, were subsequently razed.
Albert Street Business Block (June 2011)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89598, W97.14057
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Saul and Irish Construction Company / W. A. Irish and Company
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Business Block (38-44 Albert Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, December 2005.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 February 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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