This two-storey brick and stucco building at the northeast corner of Portage Avenue and Queen Street in Winnipeg, measuring 50 feet by 140 feet, was designed by local architect James William Hawker. It was constructed in 1928 by the construction firm of Pain and Roe for hotelier Frank Fowlie at a cost of about $75,000. The main floor housed a restaurant and beer parlour while the second floor originally had 22 bedrooms and later 24 bedrooms.
In May 2017, the building was damaged by a fire that started on its second floor, and remained closed until reopening in the summer of 2019.
St. James Hotel (1928)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 29 September 1928, page 6
St. James Hotel (no date)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Album 14, P7451
St. James Hotel (May 2018)
Source: George Penner
St. James Hotel (May 2022)
Source: George Penner
St. James Hotel (February 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87939, W97.20746
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James William Hawker (1870-1941)
Manitoba Business: Pain and Roe
Memorable Manitobans: Francis Stanley “Frank” Fowlie (1890-1958)
Memorable Manitobans: Gordon James Fowlie (1918-2004)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba
“St. James will have new hotel this summer,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 March 1928, page 9.
“New hotel for St. James,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 September 1928, page 6.
St. James Hotel, 1719 Portage Avenue by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, December 2009.
“New bar opening at the re-built St. James Hotel,” AccessWinnipeg, 8 July 2019.
“St. James Hotel tavern totally transformed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 August 2019.
We thank Robert Hill, George Penner, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 May 2024
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