This three-storey brick building on Main Street in Winnipeg was originally constructed as a two-storey structure known as the Florence Block. Designed by local architect Daniel Smith, the 64-foot wide and 75-foot deep structure was constructed in 1906 by contractor G. Cinq Mars. In 1907, Smith made substantial modifications that entailed addition of a third floor and a separate kitchen by contractor Louis A. Pachal. A two-storey addition to the rear, also designed by Daniel Smith and measuring 27 feet wide by 28 feet deep, was built by contractor Hector J. Milord.
Heat to the building was provided by two steam boilers in its basement; one heated the first and third floors while the other was used for the second floor and kitchen. Operated as the Northern Hotel by W. A. Lawson and Bert Eastwood, it had 61 bedrooms, parlor, office, rotunda, and bar-room.
Northern Hotel (January 2018)
Source: George Penner
Northern Hotel (no date)
Source: Kerrin AsmundsonSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90831, W97.13388
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Daniel Smith (1840-1913)
Memorable Manitobans: Louis A. Pachal (1871-1925)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2360/1906, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 965/1907, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Permits for building,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 June 1907, page 5.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1424/1907, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1520/1907, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Apartment buildings and hotels,” Manitoba Free Press, 21 November 1907, page 28.
Northern Hotel, 826 Main Street by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, February 2009.
Preparation of this page was supported, in part, by the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund of the City of Winnipeg.
We thank Kerrin Asmundson for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, George Penner, and Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 20 February 2023
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