This brick building on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg was originally constructed in two phases. The first phase, consisting of a two-storey brick structure measuring 16 feet by 33 feet was designed by local architect Max Zev Blankstein and constructed in 1913 for Peter John Alekno, at a cost of about $5,000, to serve as a funeral home.
The second phase, consisting of an additional two-storey brick building measuring 33 feet by 34 feet, along with renovations to the existing building, were also designed by Blankstein and built in 1914 by owner Alekno, at a cost of about $12,000. A one-storey brick stable, measuring 21 feet by 29 feet, also designed by Blankstein, was built in 1914 by contractor James Murray at a cost of about $1,000.
At some point in the late 1910s or early 1920s, ownership of the block was transferred to the Manitoba Upholstering Company owned by Benjamin Cohen which, in 1926, hired Blankstein again to design further renovations of the space at a cost about $2,000. The building was renamed the Mitchell Block around 1929.
Mitchell Block (January 2019)
Source: George Penner
Mitchell Block (January 2019)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91397, W97.14010
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Max Zev Blankstein (1874-1931)
Memorable Manitobans: Peter John Alekno (?-?)
Memorable Manitobans: Benjamin “Ben” Cohen (c1890-1968)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2337/1913, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 248/1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 995/1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Mrs. Sarah Moore is awarded three hundred for slander,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 April 1913, page 11.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 414/1926, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 6060/1929, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“To let, 3 room suite,” Manitoba Free Press, 5 September 1929, page 23.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #275 May 1956, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Alekno Block, Winnipeg Architecture Foundation.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer, Jordan Makichuk, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 14 October 2024
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