Located near the corner of McIntosh Avenue and Kelvin Street (now Henderson Highway) in Winnipeg to meet the demand for business education from the residents of Elmwood and East Kildonan, this two-storey structure was build in 1929 by contractor W. A. Cameron as a branch office for David Cooper’s Dominion Business College (DBC). Constructed at a cost of $30,000, the building measures 110 feet by 41 feet and, in the style of the downtown campus off Memorial Boulevard, it features a Tyndall stone edifice. Local companies involved in its construction and equipping included the McCaine Electric Company (electrical), Charles D. Kirk (plumbing and heating), Dominion Stucco Company Limited (tile and tex-zonite deadening), McDonald-Dure Lumber Company (lumber), Walsh & Charles (Williams Oil-o-matic fuel oil burner and Heggie Simplex boiler), Wallace Decorating Company (painting), Hydro Electric (power, lighting), United Typewriter Company Limited, and Office Specialty Company Limited.
The first floor of the building contained classrooms and staff offices while the upper floor served as a community hall. The basement contained suites. The structure was opened officially to the public on 27 September 1929, replacing a building at 210 Hespeler Avenue to which the DBC had moved in 1927. The structure became known as the Elmwood Building in 1950 and was used for wedding receptions, socials, dances, meetings, and banquets. It later became a doctors’ office, and it presently hosts a mixture of professional offices and commercial space.
Period
Principal
1927-?
Frank Taylor
Dominion Business College Building under construction (July 1929)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 27 July 1929, page 8.
Elmwood Building adjacent to the Winnipeg Postal Station F with the Lord Selkirk School (No. 2 building) at left background (1960s)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Winnipeg, Henderson Highway, No. 22/70.
Elmwood Building (November 2014)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Elmwood Building (October 2024)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91310, W97.11528
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dominion Business College Building / Mall Plaza Apartments / Abbott Clinic (274 Osborne Street North, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dominion Business College Building / Chapman Building (1864 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Success Business College / Dominion Business College / St. John’s Music Store (1308 Main Street, Winnipeg)
Manitoba Business: Dominion Business College / Cooper Education Institute
“Elmwood Principal,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 December 1927, page 3.
“Elmwood Branch to continue in operation,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 December 1927, page 3.
“New Business College,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 27 July 1929, page 8.
“Many share in construction of both branches,” Winnipeg Tribune, 22 August 1929, page 7.
“Dominion Business College provides improved facilities,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 August 1929, page 4.
“Local firms supply material equipment,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 August 1929, page 4.
“The Dominion Business College announces the opening of its new buildings in Elmwood and St. James,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 August 1929, page 4.
“Invitation,” Manitoba Free Press, 26 September 1929, page 2.
“Elmwood Building,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 February 1951, page 25.
“Charming Chalmers District,” Winnipeg Free Press Sunday Extra, 27 January 2013, page A8.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 31 October 2024
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