This three-storey brick block on Main Street in Winnipeg, measuring 32 feet by 80 feet, was designed by local architect John Hamilton Gordon Russell and built between 1902 and 1903 at a cost of about $15,000 by contractors Edward Cass and Jon Jonnson Vopni for grocer John Archibald McKerchar. In its original configuration, the building contained a single retail space on the main floor while the upper two floors had a mixture of nine offices and apartments.
In 1911, a three-storey addition measuring 32 feet by 44 feet, designed by local architect Frank Robert Evans, was constructed on the rear of the building by contractor John L. Neilson at a cost of about $24,000. It added space for eleven more offices/apartments.
In 1929, alterations to the ground floor were made at a cost of about $16,000 by W. A. Irish and Company to accommodate the American-based retailer F. W. Woolworth Company.
McKerchar Block (1903)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 2 May 1903, page 5.
New storefront of F. W. Woodworth store in the McKerchar Block (1929)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 26 September 1929, page 5.
McKerchar Block (January 2018)
Source: George Penner
McKerchar Block (September 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90215, W97.13661
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Hamilton Gordon Russell (1863-1946)
Memorable Manitobans: Edward Cass (1849-1932)
Memorable Manitobans: Jon Jonnson Vopni (1864-1956)
Memorable Manitobans: John Archibald McKerchar (1862-1948)
Memorable Manitobans: Frank Robert Evans (1865-1949)
Manitoba Business: W. A. Irish and Company
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 619/1902, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Building and real estate,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 August 1902, page 9.
“Mc’Kerchar’s new grocery,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 May 1903, page 5.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3159/1911, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3947/1929, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Permits issued to date $8,757,050,” Manitoba Free Press, 17 August 1929, page 8.
“Permits for week number fifty-three,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 August 1929, page 24.
“New Woolsworth store opens Friday at 600 Main Street,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 September 1929, page 5.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
McKerchar Block, 600 Main Street, Winnipeg Historical Buildings & Resources Committee, October 2015.
This page was prepared by George Penner and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 11 March 2024
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