Historic Sites of Manitoba: Euclid Block / Norman Block / California Fruit Building / Neechi Commons (873-879 Main Street / 198 Euclid Avenue, Winnipeg)

This two-storey brick structure at the southeast corner of Main Street and Euclid Avenue in Winnipeg was designed by local architect John Hamilton Gordon Russell and built in 1904 by the firm of Malcom Brothers and W. T. Andrews & Sons for owner Frederick “Fred” Phillipps of the Dominion Elevator Company. Measuring 68 feet by 68 feet, the ground floor originally contained four commercial spaces while the second floor had four, six-bedroom suites in its original configuration.

In the mid-1950s, the building was renamed the Norman Block and known as the California Fruit Building. In 2011, the building was extensively renovated which included alterations to its exterior and the gutting and redesign of the original interior. On 16 February 2015, a restoration project that turned it into Neechi Commons was given a Special President’s Award by Heritage Winnipeg. The facility closed in June 2018.

Euclid Block

Euclid Block (1904)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 31 October 1904, page 9.

The former Euclid Block

The former Euclid Block (March 2023)
Source: Jordan Makichuk

Site Location (lat/long): N49.90912, W97.13305
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: John Hamilton Gordon Russell (1863-1946)

Manitoba Business: Malcom Construction

Memorable Manitobans: Frederick “Fred” Phillipps (1857-1932)

Sources:

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 10 August 1904, page 10.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 August 1904, page 10.

“A new North End Block,” Manitoba Free Press, 31 October 1904, page 9.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

The Year Past 2011: Annual Report of the City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, page 24.

The Year Past 2012: Annual Report of the City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, page 25.

This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 April 2023

Historic Sites of Manitoba

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