This three-storey structure was designed by Winnipeg architects Charles Arnold Barber and Earle William Barber, and built for grain merchant Nicholas Bawlf in 1882 as a twin to the next-door Benson Block. Built as an office structure, its first tenant was the clothing manufacturing firm of James O’Brien and Company. From 1889 to 1913, other tenants included the Dominion Bank and Trees, Spriggs and Company. From 1915 to 1962, the principal tenants were the Holden Company and the House of Comoy.
The Bawlf and Benson buildings were both demolished in 2003 to make way for the downtown campus of the Red River College although their exterior façades were retained. In 2004, the building was recognized with a Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Award. It is a municipally-designated historic site.
Bawlf Block / House of Comoy (September 1957) by John H. Warkentin
Source: John Warkentin Fonds, 2009-029/003, ASC16519, York University
Facade of the Bawlf Block / House of Comoy (April 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Facade of the Bawlf Block / House of Comoy (September 2024)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90003, W97.14107
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Arnold Barber (1848-1915)
Memorable Manitobans: Earle William Barber (1855-1915)
Memorable Manitobans: Nicholas Bawlf (1849-1914)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Benson Block / Drake Hotel (146 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bawlf Block / House of Comoy (150 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Grain Exchange Building (156-160 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Some Old Winnipeg Buildings by Randy Rostecki
MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 29, 1972-1973 Season
150 Princess Street - Bawlf Block (House of Comoy), City of Winnipeg Historic Buildings Committee, 1979.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 September 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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