This three-storey brick building on Wardlaw Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 36 feet by 96 feet, was designed by local architect John Danley Atchison and built between 1905 and 1906 by Davidson Brothers at an estimated cost of $25,000. Known originally as the Wardlow when the street name was spelled differently, it was an early example of the apartment blocks that became common in Winnipeg during the early 20th century. In this case, the building contained six apartments.
The original owner and long-time resident of the block was William Hespeler. Some early residents included railway superintendent Albert Wilcox, businessman Trevor Gwyn, insurance manager Arthur E. Lawson, grain broker Arthur Ernest Choate, and the widow of dry goods merchant Robert Jones Whitla. Hespeler sold the block in 1911, though he continued to live here until his death in 1921. It was converted to condominium ownership in 1981.
It became a municipally-designated historic building in 1999.
Wardlaw Apartments (1970s)
Source: Planning, Property & Development, City of Winnipeg , HBRC0207
Wardlaw Apartments (May 2011)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87559, W97.14767
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Danley Atchison (1870-1959)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2895/1905, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Record year in building,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 December 1905, page 24.
Wardlaw (Wardlow) Apartments, (544 Wardlaw Avenue), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, May 1999.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 1 April 2023
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