This two-storey brick building on Main Street in Winnipeg, measuring 60 feet by 66 feet, was designed by local architect James McDiarmid for owner Samuel Charles Corbett. Primary construction in 1901 was undertaken by James and his brother John “Jack” McDiarmid (operating as J. & J. McDiarmid) with masonry and bricklaying subcontracted to the Alsip Brothers, and was completed at a cost of about $15,000.
In its original configuration, the building contained four commercial spaces on its main floor and 14 residential apartments on its upper floors.
Owned by the Corbett estate until the 1930s, the building was purchased by clothier Louis Mindell, owner of the neighbouring building, who, in 1948, had a two-storey addition measuring 36 feet by 43 feet made to the rear of the building at a cost of $7,000. Mindell's estate owned the building into the 1980s.
The building was badly damaged by fire on 13 December 2023.
Corbett Block (December 2014)
Source: George Penner
Corbett Block (January 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90199, W97.13594
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James McDiarmid (1855-1934)
Memorable Manitobans: John “Jack” McDiarmid (1862-1943)
Memorable Manitobans: Louis Mindell (1886-1958)
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Charles Corbett (1846-1915)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 206/1901, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Winnipeg fire insurance map #208, December 1917, Library and Archives Canada.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2948/1948, City of Winnipeg Archives.
611 Main Street, Corbett Block by Murray Peterson, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings & Resources Committee, November 2015.
“Winnipeg fire crews battle Main Street fire,” Global News, 13 December 2023.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 December 2023
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