In 1904, Winnipeg architect J. H. G. Russell designed a new foundation for an existing, three-storey 1880s building on this site, the store for merchant James H. Ashdown. A few months later, the building was destroyed by fire but two new storeys were built hastily on the undamaged foundation. Four more storeys were added to it in 1905.
Some employees were commemorated at a 61st Battalion concert held at the Walker Theatre on 13-14 December 1915. A list of company employees killed during military service in the First World War was published in 1919.
A one-storey addition was made to the north side of the building in 1959, along with extensive exterior renovation, on designs by the architectural firm of Moody and Moody. The Ashdown store closed in 1970 and the building was sold to Big 4 Sales which operated here until 1992. The building was later renovated for use by a variety of businesses and cultural organizations. It is a municipally-designated historic site.
Ashdown Building (circa 1903)
Source: An Illustrated Souvenir of Winnipeg
Ashdown Building (June 2014)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Ashdown Building (April 2021)
Source: George Penner
Ashdown Building (May 2024)
Source: Greg Petzold
Ashdown Building (May 2024)
Source: Greg Petzold
Aerial view of Ashdown Building (October 2024)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89804, W97.13944
denoted by symbol on the map above
Name
Occupation
Service
Rank
Birth Date
Death Date
Norman Harold Bell
[Maryland Methodist]Clerk
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
26 January 1881
31 October 1916
Alfred Drever
Order Clerk
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
13 February 1894
10 November 1917
Cecil Hobday
[Next of Kin]Clerk
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
12 April 1895
15 September 1916
John Frances Hourihan
Invoice Clerk
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
11 January 1894
30 October 1917
John MacHenry
Clerk
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
2 May 1885
9 April 1917
Andrew Gray Nicol
[Aberdeen Banff Kincardine, Next of Kin, Westminster Presbyterian]Clerk
Canadian Railway Troops
Lance Corporal
19 August 1886
4 April 1917
Robert Spaul
Checker
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
23 June 1889
7 January 1917
Thomas White
[Next of Kin, Norwood Presbyterian]Elevator Operator
8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
12 April 1896
1 May 1915
Thomas Grant Roffey
Clerk
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Private
3 January 1893
4 August 1918
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Ashdown (1844-1924)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ashdown House (529 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ashdown Warehouse (167 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
“Honor roll of the J. H. Ashdown Hardware Co. Limited,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 September 1919, page 51.
Big 4 Sales (Formerly J. H. Ashdown Hardware Store), 476 Main Street, Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, March 1998.
We thank George Penner and Greg Petzold for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Darryl Toews.
Page revised: 24 April 2025
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