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Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Formerly located at the northwest corner of Notre Dame Avenue and Adelaide Street in Winnipeg, a two-storey brick veneer, wooden building, measuring 69 feet by 100 feet, was designed by local architect James Chisholm. It was built in 1883 for aldermen/businessman Thomas McCrossan at a cost of about $20,000. In its original configuration, the building's main floor contained five retail spaces along Notre Dame Avenue and a meeting hall measuring 27 feet by 60 feet at the rear. The second floor contained office space.
In 1897, extensive renovations converted the entire building into a first-class modern theatre. The plans were designed by local architect Charles Henry Wheeler and the work was completed by contractors Sinclair Balsor Ritchie and Daniel David Wood at a total cost of about $16,500. The new Winnipeg Opera House had four retail spaces on the main floor along Notre Dame Avenue with the new entrance to the theatre at the easternmost end. The theatre on the second floor was managed by Corliss Powers Walker and had a seating capacity for about 1,000 people, with eight private boxes, four on each side. It opened officially on 4 September 1897 with the opening attraction being “Louis James.”
Later know as the Winnipeg Theatre, it was thought that having a 1,000-seat theatre over main floor shops was a fire hazard. On 23 December 1926, these fears were realized when the entire building was destroyed during a massive fire. By the time the fire was reported around 10:30 in the morning, it had already been burning for 30 to 60 minutes. Fireman from Fire Hall No. 1 and Fire Hall No. 2 responded but there was little they could do but train water on the burning building from outside. At 11:30 AM, large portions of the south and west walls had fallen.
In the course of battling the blaze, four Winnipeg firefighters from Fire Hall No. 2—Arthur Smith, Donald Melville, Robert Stewart, and Robert S. Shearer—were killed when a wall collapsed. Newspaper photographer Claude Peter Dettloff captured the exact moment when the wall fell, and for the remainder of his life he thought of that photo as his most powerful.
The site stayed vacant until the mid-2010s when it was purchased by Manitoba Hydro to replace the aging Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 1. The new substation was completed in 2017 with two commemorative plaques attached to its wall along Hargrave Street. One commemorates the Winnipeg Theatre disaster and the other describes the construction of the new substation, during which a foundation for the former theatre was discovered.
Winnipeg Opera House elevation on Notre Dame Avenue (1897)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 3 March 1897, page 3.
Winnipeg Opera House elevation on Adelaide Street (1897)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 3 March 1897, page 3.
Winnipeg Opera House floor plan (1897)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 3 March 1897, page 3.
Winnipeg Theatre after fire (December 1926)
Source: Internet Archive, PC011500
Winnipeg Theatre commemorative plaque (November 2024)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Adelaide Station commemorative plaque (November 2024)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89714, W97.14495
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James Chisholm (1841-1920)
Memorable Manitobans: Thomas McCrossan (1834-1927)
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Henry Wheeler (1838-1917)
Memorable Manitobans: Sinclair Balsor Ritchie (1855-1933)
Memorable Manitobans: Daniel David Wood (1859-1925)
Memorable Manitobans: Corliss Powers Walker (1853-1942)
Memorable Manitobans: Claude Peter “Dett” Dettloff (1899-1978)
Events in Manitoba History: Winnipeg Theatre Fire (23 December 1926)
On Stage: Theatre and Theatres in Early Winnipeg by James B. Hartman
Manitoba History, Number 43, Spring/Summer 2002.
“To contractors,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 January 1883, page 6.
“Victoria Hall,” Winnipeg Daily Sun, 31 March 1883, page 1.
“New opera house plans,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 January 1897, page 8.
“New opera house,” Manitoba Free Press, 3 March 1897, page 3.
“Another theatre,” Manitoba Free Press, 8 May 1897, page 3.
“Winnipeg Opera House - contracts let for the work,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 May 1897, page 5.
“The new theatre - beautiful and modern,” Manitoba Free Press, 3 September 1897, page 4.
Winnipeg Fire Insurance Map #14, August 1906, Library and Archives Canada.
Winnipeg Fire Insurance Map #14, December 1910 - revised May 1914, Library and Archives Canada.
“Inquiry started into Winnipeg Theatre fire,” Manitoba Free Press, 24 December 1926, page 1.
“Pieces of 19th-century Winnipeg Theatre dug up last year now for sale on Kijiji,” CBC News, 19 August 2018.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 1 December 2024
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