This 2½-storey brick and stone building on William Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 30 feet by 30 feet, was built in 1895 for merchant Gísli Ólafsson. In 1907, Ólafsson built a new house on McDermot Avenue and this house was sold to architect Alexander D. Melville.
In August 2025, the building suffered multiple arson fires. It was destroyed by another arson fire on 13 November 2025.
Olafsson House (March 2018)
Source: George Penner
Olafsson House (November 2018)
Source: Kerrin Asmundson
Olafsson House (May 2024)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Former site of the Olafsson House (November 2025)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90287, W97.15100
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Gísli Ólafsson [Olafson] (1855-1909)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Olafsson House (663 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg)
Memorable Manitobans: Alexander D. Melville (1873-1949)
Gisli Olafson House, 539 William Street by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, February 2009.
“Fire at vacant Winnipeg home prompts Thursday morning road closures,” CTV News, 13 November 2025.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk, Kerrin Asmundson, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 November 2025
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