Historic Sites of Manitoba: Masonic Temple / Mother Tucker’s Restaurant (335 Donald Street, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Photos & Coordinates | Sources

Organized Freemasonry came to the Red River Valley in November 1864, over five years before Manitoba became a province and over two years before Canada became a nation. Initially the “Northern Light Lodge” was a branch of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, with John C. Schultz (protagonist to Louis Riel and later Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba) as Worshipful Master and A. G. B. Bannatyne and William Inkster as Wardens. In 1866, the lodge received its own charter from the Grand Lodge of Minnesota as No. 68. In May 1875, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, the governing body for all other lodges in the province, received its charter. By 1894, the Grand Lodge occupied space on the top floor of the Western Canada Loan and Savings Company Building at the north-west corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street. A fire destroyed the building on 16 November 1894.

The Masons decided to build their own building as a new home for the Grand Lodge of Manitoba. Excavation at the corner of Donald and Ellice began in July 1895 on what was described as the only Masonic Temple in Canada, and only the second in North America. The cornerstone was laid on 15 August 1895. In the basement of the three-storey brick and stone structure, designed by local architect George Creeford Browne, were offices, library, banquet hall and kitchen, two large vaults, janitor’s residence, lavatory, and furnace room. On the second floor were meeting halls, a general waiting room, and small rooms for educational purposes. More meeting rooms were on the third floor. A high-ceilinged attic was intended for storage and two rooms for drills.

In 1969, the Masons moved to a newly built facility at Confusion Corner, taking with them commemorative plaques for Masons killed during military service. The old temple stood empty for a little over a year until, in September 1971, a restaurant and dance club called “The Rec Room” opened in it, featuring a “pulsating plexiglass dance floor.” This was the first use of the building by legendary Winnipeg businessman Oscar Grubert. Unfortunately, The Rec Room was not successful. Within five months of opening, Grubert reconfigured the operation and renamed it “GG’s Cabaret and Supper Club.” It fared only slightly better, closing after about two years. In April 1975, after renovations that included construction of a two-storey kitchen addition at the back of the existing building, it reopened as “Mother Tucker’s Food Experience.” The menu included such staples as prime rib, chicken, steak, shrimp and fish. All meals included “fresh baked bread, salad bar, whipped or scalloped potatoes, vegetables, fresh apple pie, and coffee, tea or milk.” The salad bar was a particularly noteworthy innovation, one of the first in the city, that made the restaurant popular for the next 25 years. In 1975, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba mounted a plaque on the building’s north exterior wall in commemoration of the first Masonic Temple building in Manitoba. In the 1990s, the high-ceilinged third floor was equipped with 110 theatre seats, a stage, and lighting for use in “bare-bones theatrical productions.”

Mother Tucker’s closed in 1999 then the building reopened as “Chris Walby’s Hog City,” a barbecue and sports bar named for the Blue Bombers player. It operated for less than a year. A Mexican-themed restaurant called “Blue Agave Tequilaria” closed at the end of 2003. The following year, the building was purchased by the owner of Pony Corral restaurants, who promised to restore the building to its former glory. On the outside, windows were replaced, bricks were sandblasted and repointed, and a new roof was installed. When workers turned to the interior, two problems were confronted. First, the building lacked an elevator deemed essential for any successful redevelopment of the upper floors, and second, the plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system were out-of-date. In early 2006, the developer gutted the entire interior, leaving none of the original structure.

An ambitious plan to develop the 16,000-square-foot interior for a restaurant, bar, professional offices, or retail space has not come to fruition so the building has sat empty for over a decade.

Photos & Coordinates

Laying the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple (15 August 1895) Source: Stan Barclay Masonic Temple (1900) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Winnipeg - Buildings - General - Masonic Temple #1 Masonic Temple (circa 1903) Source: An Illustrated Souvenir of Winnipeg Masonic Temple (June 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Plaque on the north exterior wall of the Masonic Temple (December 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89490, W97.14394 denoted by symbol on the map above

Masons Killed During Military Service in the First World War

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date	Lodge
Charles Augustus Aldridge [Brandon Armoury, Dingwall]	Jewellery Buyer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	17 November 1886	2 June 1916	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Hubert Tyndall Angus	Master Painter	Llandovery Castle (Hospital Ship), Canadian Army Medical Corps	Private	25 July 1880	27 June 1918	Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 3
Ralph Russell James Brown [Law Society, Next of Kin, Wesley College, Westminster]	Student at Law	44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	21 November 1875	31 October 1917	Prince Rupert Lodge No. 1
John Caldwell [Next of Kin, Post Office]	Shoemaker	Canadian Army Medical Corps	Regimental Sergeant Major	17 October 1879	17 December 1917	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Wesley Clemis [Next of Kin]	Freight Conductor	2nd Field Company, Canadian Engineers	Sapper	4 February 1881	25 August 1917	St. John's Lodge No. 4
William Henry Puddicomb Collum MC [Canadian Club, Next of Kin, Westminster]	Financial Agent	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	11 October 1884	14 August 1917	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Russell Cushman	Passenger Agent, CPR	Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Lance Corporal	6 May 1885	28 September 1918	Ionic Lodge No. 25
Frederick Denner [Next of Kin]	Book Keeper	7th Company, Canadian Machine Gun Corps	Private	4 February 1884	21 October 1917	Ionic Lodge No. 25
Edgar Eaglestone [Congregational, Next of Kin]	Railroad Engineer, CPR	Canadian Army Medical Corps	Private	8 January 1883	29 May 1918	Prince Rupert Lodge No. 1
Edward Cecil Frank [Next of Kin]	Real Estate	43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	7 July 1885	9 February 1917	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
John Barker Gould [Broadway Methodist, Eatons, Next of Kin]	Manager	44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Captain	12 June 1883	21 October 1918	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
William Grant	?	?	?	?	?	St. John's Lodge No. 4
William Jones	?	?	?	?	?	St. John's Lodge No. 4
John Clark Leitch [Eatons]	Clerk	78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	27 October 1886	28 September 1918	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Wallace Alexander MacKenzie	Insurance Broker	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	8 January 1884	25 April 1915	Ionic Lodge No. 25
William John Maitland [Next of Kin]	Bookkeeper	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Sergeant	23 September 1889	24 April 1915	Prince Rupert Lodge No. 1
James Donaldson McClintock [Congregational]	Salesman	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	24 November 1883	10 April 1917	Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 3
Donald Alexander McIvor	Student at Law	16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	10 March 1894	2 September 1917	Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 3
Duncan Michael [Next of Kin]	Manager	43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	12 March 1885	8 October 1916	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Stanley Hall Mitchell [Manitoba College, Next of Kin, Westminster]	Merchant	11th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	10 June 1886	8 April 1915	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Clifford James Moir [Killarney, Killarney School, Manitoba College, Next of Kin]	Student	217th Squadron, Royal Air Force	Lieutenant	13 March 1894	30 June 1918	Ionic Lodge No. 25
Joseph Ewart Moore [Stonewall, Teulon]	Insurance agent	Canadian Army Medical Corps	Private	24 June 1878	28 June 1918	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Harold Irwin Morris [Engineering, Next of Kin]	Well Driller	144th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Sergeant	25 April 1886	23 October 1918	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Arthur Edward Muir [Congregational, Next of Kin]	Broker	15th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	19 January 1889	21 May 1915	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Harold Arthur Newman [Law Society, Next of Kin]	Law Student	46th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Lieutenant	28 July 1892	4 November 1918	Prince Rupert Lodge No. 1
Oscar Royston Rudolf	Engineer	44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Sergeant	11 January 1889	2 September 1918	St. John's Lodge No. 4
James William Rutledge [City Hall, Congregational, Next of Kin, Winnipeg Police]	Policeman	43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	21 June 1881	8 October 1916	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Arthur Charles Ruttan	Grain Merchant	144th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	3 March 1878	2 November 1918	Prince Rupert Lodge No. 1
Percy William Shields [Next of Kin]	Boiler Maker and Electric Welder	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	19 June 1893	9 September 1918	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Charles Simpson Shipman [Next of Kin]	Electrical Engineer	78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	30 September 1876	9 April 1917	Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 3
James Smith	?	?	?	?	?	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Martin Sutherland	Carpenter & Electrician	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	30 July 1885	26 September 1916	St. John's Lodge No. 4
Ralph Kemp Tabberner	Salesman	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	27 November 1882	3 May 1917	Assiniboine Lodge No. 114
Robert Somerville Young [Selkirk]	Bookkeeper	7th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	23 May 1885	3 June 1916	Lisgar Lodge No. 2

The commemorative tablet for Ancient Landmark Lodge was unveiled on 3 October 1920.

The commemorative tablet for Ionic Lodge was unveiled on 30 April 1922.

See also:

MHS Centennial Organization: Grand Lodge of Manitoba

Memorable Manitobans: Oscar Bert Grubert (1929-2014)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba

Sources:

“A black Friday,” Manitoba Free Press, 17 November 1894, page 6.

“PLANS ADOPTED,” Manitoba Free Press, 16 May 1895, page 16.

“A MASONIC TEMPLE,” Manitoba Free Press, 10 August 1895, page 1.

“Ancient Landmark Lodge Unveils Memorial Tablet,” Manitoba Free Press, 4 October 1920, page 4.

“Ionic Lodge Servce,” Manitoba Free Press, 1 May 1922, page 5.

[Public Notice - Champs Food Systems], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 1971, page 37.

[Advertisement - The Rec Room], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 October 1971, page 24.

[Advertisement - GG’s Cabaret and Supper Club], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 April 1972, page 16.

[Classified Ad] - Mother Tucker’s Food Experience], Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 1975, page 33.

[Advertisement - Chris Walby’s Hog City], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 February 2000, page 79.

[Classified Ad - Blue Agave Restaurant and Tequilaria], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 November 2002, page 97.

[Classified Ad], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 September 2005, page 41.

“Temple tampering / Renovations to former home of Masons won’t please history buffs, but they will bring building up to code,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 February 2006, page 77.

[Classified Ad], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 October 2010, page 148.

[Advertisement], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 2015, page 17.

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

Commercial Use Building For Lease (335 Donald Street, Winnipeg), Colliers Canada.

Masonic Temple, Winnipeg Historical Buildings Inventory.

We thank Stan Barclay and John Drew for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Darryl Toews.

Page revised: 9 December 2024

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