Roslyn Court on Osborne Street in Winnipeg is one of Canada’s finest apartment buildings in the Queen Anne Revival style. Popular between 1880 and 1914, this style is characterized by asymmetrical composition, contrasting colours and textures, and strikingly varied rooflines. Designed by local architect William Wallace Blair and constructed in 1909 by the firm of Mills and Shepley, the five-storey brick and stone structure measured 128 feet by 100 feet and contained 36 apartments.
Today, the building retains many of its original interior features such as wood panelling, mouldings, stained glass, and fireplaces. In 1986, a plaque was erected in front of the block by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. It is also a municipally-designated historic site. In 2016, a renovation project in the building received a Conservation Award from Heritage Winnipeg.
Roslyn Court Apartments (June 2017)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88022, W97.14648
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: William Wallace Blair (1852-1916)
Manitoba Business: Mills and Shepley / Shepley Construction Company
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Roslyn Court (701 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1523/1908, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“To contractors,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 November 1908, page 5.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 229/1909, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
We thank George Penner and Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 February 2024
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