Built on Saskatchewan Avenue in Portage la Prairie around 1892, this is a substantial two-storey brick commercial building. Large display windows lit the main floor's commercial space and was approached through a recessed entrance; a second door at the east end led to the apartment above via a steep stairwell lit by a tall transom. The building has segmental-arched windows and decorative wooden brackets at the second floor and original roof level; and a more recent third-storey addition that probably covered over a decorative parapet (or perhaps it was removed).
In 1906, Philip Baron and his brother Harry arrived in town with their parents. They were part of the early arrival of Russian-born Jewish immigrants who settled in Portage between 1906 and 1915. Like Baron, many Jewish settlers became merchants instead of farmers, and Baron's grocery store initially catered to the Ukrainian immigrant community as they could communicate in the same language.
The building housed an ice-cream shop at the time of a 2021 site visit.
Baron Grocery Building (March 2021)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97369, W98.30013
denoted by symbol on the map above
Landmarks: Portage la Prairie's Significant Commercial Heritage Buildings, Heritage Manitoba.
This page was prepared by Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 31 May 2020
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