Memorable Manitobans: James William Hawker (1870-?)

Architect.

Born at Brighton, England on 16 March 1870, he began his architectural career there, working from 1900 to 1913 when he emigrated to Canada via the United States. During the First World War, he served as an officer in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In April 1921, he requested membership in the Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA), serving as its President from 1930 to 1931. He worked as a draughtsman for James Chisholm before setting up his own architectural practice, designing homes and apartment blocks from 1922 to 1935. On a visit to England in late 1935, he decided to stay there. No further information on his whereabouts has been found.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
City Dray Garage	276 Rupert Street, Winnipeg	1923	Demolished (?)
Rochester Apartments	66 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg	1927
Forlong House	295 Dromore Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Clinton Apartments	185 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg	1928
Shea House	115 Park Boulevard, Winnipeg	1928
Oxford Apartments	317 Furby Street, Winnipeg	1928
St. James Hotel	1719 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Harvard Apartments	198 Furby Street, Winnipeg	1929
Brentwood Lodge	230 Hugo Street North, Winnipeg	1930
Brooklands Hotel	8 Keewatin Street, Winnipeg	1930
Wiltshire Apartments	30 Spence Street, Winnipeg	1930
Scarsdale Apartments	71 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg	1930
Bessborough Apartments	380 Assiniboine Avenue, Winnipeg	1931
Layton Apartments	830 Corydon Avenue, Winnipeg	1931
Raleigh Apartments	340 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg	1931
Wakefield Apartments	415 Stradbrook Avenue, Winnipeg	1931

Sources:

Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

“Permits for 14 homes taken within weeks,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 April 1923, page 6.

“Beautiful residence on Dromore Street,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 May 1928, page 36.

Winnipeg Building Index

Raleigh Apartments (340 Vaughan Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, January 1997.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Robert Hill.

Page revised: 19 May 2023

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!