This one-storey brick building at the southeast corner of Selkirk Avenue and Arlington Street in Winnipeg, measuring 28 feet by 42 feet, was designed by Calgary-based architect Reginald Edwardes McDonnell (1887-1963) and constructed in 1919 at a cost of about $17,000 by the construction firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger as a branch of the Merchants Bank of Canada.
In 1922, when the bank merged with the Bank of Montreal, it became a branch of that bank until closing in 1942. It was the headquarters of the Ukrainian Mutual Benefit Association of St. Nicholas from the 1940s to 2010s. At the time of 2022 and 2023 site visits, the building hosted the constituency office of a provincial politician.
Bank of Montreal Building (no date)
Source: Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada Collection #2845, Archives of Manitoba
The former Bank of Montreal Building (2011)
Source: Christian Cassidy
The former Bank of Montreal Building (January 2022)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91916, W97.15638
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Carter-Halls-Aldinger / Commonwealth Construction Company
Manitoba Business: Merchants Bank of Canada
Manitoba Business: Bank of Montreal
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1326/1919, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
“Zarowski heads Ukrainian group for third term,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 March 1946, page 7.
“On Selkirk Avenue” by Christian Cassidy, West End Dumplings, 7 April 2011.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
This page was prepared by Christian Cassidy, Jordan Makichuk, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 October 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!
