This three-storey brick block on Main Street in Winnipeg was designed by local architect Max Zev Blankstein and built in 1911 by Abraham Cohen for owner Herman Shapera at a cost of about $40,000. In its original configuration, the 33 foot by 130 foot structure had two retail shops on its main floor and twelve residential apartments (including one for the janitor in the basement) in the remainder of the building.
Continental Block (1945)
Source: Continental Block, Winnipeg Tribune Fonds, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
Continental Block (November 2020)
Source: George Penner
Rear view of the Continental Block (June 2022)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Continental Block (January 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90719, W97.13421
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Max Zev Blankstein (1874-1931)
Memorable Manitobans: Abraham Cohen (1876-1944)
Memorable Manitobans: Herman Shapera (1872-1935)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1980/1911, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“June permits break record,” Manitoba Free Press, 4 July 1911, page 14.
Continental Block, Winnipeg Architecture Foundation.
Find a Postal Code, Canada Post.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer, Gordon Goldsborough, George Penner, and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 23 June 2023
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