This 2½-storey red brick house at the northeast corner of Fourth Street Southwest and Crescent Road West in Portage la Prairie, measuring 40 feet by 40 feet, was designed by Winnipeg architect Samuel Frank Peters. It was built in 1906 by local contractors Francis G. Humber (1856-1935) and James Albert Simmons (1846-?) for James Duncan Irvine, manager of the Bank of Montreal, and his family.
An example of Georgian architecture, house features overall symmetry in its steep hipped-roof, imposing facade, and prominent entrance with a pillared porch and balcony. Later owned outright by the bank, it sold the building in 1972 and it is now a private residence.
Irvine House at Portage la Prairie (August 2017)
Source: George Penner
Irvine House at Portage la Prairie (January 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Irvine House at Portage la Prairie (November 2024)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Location (lat/long): N49.97010, W98.29636
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Frank Peters (1847-1926)
Memorable Manitobans: James Duncan Irvine (1872-c1921)
Manitoba Business: Bank of Montreal
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bank of Montreal Building (115 Saskatchewan Avenue East, Portage la Prairie)
“Building notes,” Manitoba Free Press, 26 March 1906, page 10.
The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 17, 28 March 1906, page 2.
“J. D. Irvine, manager of the Bank of Montreal, has let the contract for a residence at the corner of Crescent Road,” Portage la Prairie Weekly, 18 April 1906, page 5.
1911 Canada census [Frances G. Humber, Jos Simmons], Automated Genealogy.
Death registration [Ernest Oliver Simmons], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
City of Portage la Prairie Heritage Advisory Committee, May 2008.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
James John Simmons, FamilySearch.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by George Penner and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 8 November 2024
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