Designed by local architect Hugh McCowan and erected in 1883-1884 at the southwest corner of Princess Street and McDermot Avenue, this three-storey building provided meeting rooms on its third floor for local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The lower two floors were leased to commercial tenants, most notably the clothing firm of Carscaden & Peck, to pay for the building and generate revenue for the fraternal organization. The building was the administrative centre for the IOOF until 1910 when that function was moved to new headquarters on Kennedy Street, while the building remained home for Manitoba Lodge No. 1.
A fire in January 1930 damaged the building’s interior and destroyed IOOF records and materials. Renovations supervised by architect Frank R. Evans changed the exterior look of the building somewhat but left the upper floor and its ballroom with pressed tin ceiling largely intact. The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
Odd Fellows Hall (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Odd Fellows Hall (April 2021)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89775, W97.14301
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Odd Fellows Home (4025 Roblin Boulevard, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Odd Fellows Temple (78 The Promenade, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Peck Building (33 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Manitoba Organization: Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Some Old Winnipeg Buildings by Randy Rostecki
MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 29, 1972-1973 Season
McDermot Block / former Oddfellows Hall (72-74 Princess Street), Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, 1986.
Johnstone Block (Kuo Min Tang Building), 209 Pacific Avenue, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, May 2019.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 September 2022
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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