Located at the southwest corner of Spadina Avenue (now Stradbrook Avenue) and Joseph Street (now Scott Street) in Winnipeg, this 2.5-storey residential dwelling was designed by architect Samuel Hooper and built in 1905 by its owner-contractor Christopher Hickey “Chris” Simpson. The building measured 48 feet of frontage along Joseph Street to a depth of 144 feet along Spadina and bore the name for the hometown of Simpson's birth at Glencoe, Ontario.
Quite oversized for the needs of the Simpson family alone, rooms in the residence were rented out from the very beginning. The Simpsons moved out around 1908, first to 290 Garry and then to 180 Ethelbert by 1910; however, the Glencoe name endured. In its early decades, the building had up to six suites along with quarters for a live-in janitor. However, during the 1950s, the total was increased to eight suites.
The structure suffered $100,000 in damage to its second and third floors during a fire on 25 July 1989. The building was then boarded up, sold, and planned to be renovated. Before that work began, a second fire on 29 September 1990 thoroughly gutted what remained of the building and caused a further $250,000 in damages. Its heritage status was subsequently withdrawn and the building was demolished. The building that replaced it, whose address is 143-151 Scott Street, was built between 1993 and 1994.
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87873, W97.14135
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Hooper (1851-1911)
Memorable Manitobans: Christopher Hickey “Chris” Simpson (1861-1928)
1901 & 1906 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
1911, 1916, & 1921 Canada censuses, Library and Archives Canada.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 926/1905, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“To rent,” Manitoba Free Press, 9 December 1905, page 11.
“Wanted - general servant,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 February 1906, page 13.
“Unfurnished Suites [The Glencoe, Fort Rouge (corner Spadina and Scott)...],” Manitoba Free Press, 21 October 1913, page 17.
“Canine close-call,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 June 1989, page 6.
“Investigators provide apartment-block fire,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 July 1989, page 12.
“834 - Revenue & Investment Property [145 Scott],” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 May 1990, page 30.
“Offices, condos to replace apartment,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 June 1990, page 92.
“Arson suspected in string of fires,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 September 1990, page 3.
Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation Department.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
We thank Gordon Goldsborough for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 31 July 2023
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
