Formerly located at the northwest corner of Ellice Avenue and Langside Street in Winnipeg, this three-storey white brick and Tyndall stone building, measuring 83 feet by 90 feet, was designed by local architect John Hamilton Gordon Russell and built in 1906 by owner/contractor Jon Jonnson Vopni at a cost of about $40,000. In its original configuration, the block contained three retail stores on the main floor while the upper two floors contained residential apartments. Originally known as the Aurora Court, it was renamed in 1922 to the Lorraine Apartments.
The building was destroyed by fire on 12 January 1977. The site is now occupied by a different building.
Aurora Court (1906)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 42.
Lorraine Apartments on fire (12 January 1977)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune Photo Collection, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, PC 18/3018/18-2307-024Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89300, W97.15632
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Hamilton Gordon Russell (1863-1946)
Memorable Manitobans: Jon Jonnson Vopni (1864-1956)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2223/1906, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Vopni’s Block,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 42.
Winnipeg Fire Insurance Map #60, December 1910 - revised May 1914, Library and Archives Canada.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
“The three-storey building at 539-545 Ellice Avenue reduced to rubble,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 January 1977, page 6.
Apartment House Architecture in Winnipeg to 1915 by David Spector, December 1980.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 May 2024
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