This 3½-storey brick hotel on Saskatchewan Avenue in Portage la Prairie was designed by Winnipeg architect Charles Saunders Bridgman and built in 1905, at a cost of $50,000, by local brick manufacturer Harry Stephens. Considered state-of-the-art for its time, the hotel featured a restaurant and bar, and a telephone in each room. It was destroyed by fire on 31 August 2006.
Postcard view of the Portage Hotel (circa 1910)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2011-0029
Postcard view of the Portage Hotel (circa 1933)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2011-0087
Portage Hotel (September 1975)
Source: PCI Archive, Newspaper Photograph Collection - Group BSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97287, W98.28907
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Saunders Bridgman (1876-1965)
Memorable Manitobans: Henry “Harry” Stephens (1865-1934)
The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 16, 30 August 1905, page 2.
“Chas. S. Bridgman - An architect who in his three years in Winnipeg has added much to the beauty of Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Telegram, 18 September 1906, page 21.
Henderson's Portage la Prairie Directory (1957), Internet Archive.
“Fire guts Portage la Prairie landmark,” CBC News, 31 August 2006.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 8 December 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
