Apartments  in Winnipeg: early to mid 20th Century styles

The apartment building came to prominence in Winnipeg at a time of great prosperity.  As the Red River settlement grew in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century, Winnipeg’s population rose steadily.  The promise of land and renewal brought settlers from Europe to rural communities, and the promises of success, wealth, and adventure of drew people to Winnipeg, the urban centre of commerce.  Throughout the period from 1881-1918, Winnipeg established itself at the forefront of Western Canadian cities.  At the beginning of the 20^th century, it had claimed the title of fastest growing city in North America, and was known as “the Chicago of the North.”  A bustling commercial district was established.  The city grew extensively, and became known as the “grain centre of the world” (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, 46).

 

However, this golden age was not mean to last.  Several factors, including the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 (which reduced the flow of grain into the city for inspection before overseas shipping), contributed to Winnipeg’s decline in prosperity (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, 46).

 

While Winnipeg lost economic momentum with the advent of the First World War, public opinion remained optimistic, and apartments continued to be erected at a considerable rate.  It has been recorded that, “the announcement of 23 new apartment blocks to be erected in Winnipeg in 1927 was considered as denoting ‘the increasing prosperity of the West’ and as a sign ‘that Winnipeg is rapidly getting back to its pre-war building stride.’” (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie, 48).  This optimism, combined with moderate economic improvement due to new railway construction, the rising price of wheat, and increased industrial growth, prompted the continued construction of apartments in the late 1920s.(University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, 47).

 

In accordance with these trends, apartment construction grew steadily, and crested in 1929, with the construction of 27 apartment buildings in one year.  This proved to be the greatest yearly total in regards to apartment blocks to date (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, 47).

 

Several styles came to the fore during Winnipeg’s history.  Many of the apartments constructed were purposefully designed to meet the needs of an increasingly affluent community, and their styles reflected this intention.  As the highest echelons of Winnipeg society were engaged in trade and commerce, their places of residence tended to be centered on the downtown. Moreover, the adaptation of the latest fashions in architectural design were adopted in varying degrees by other types of structures, such as civic offices, libraries, fire halls, and businesses.

 
Strathmore Apartments

Broadway was designed as a place for the wealthy to work and live.  The Strathmore Apartments, of 326 Broadway, were constructed in 1908.  Designed by G.H. Walton, this structure exemplified all that its residents strove for; its stripped classical decorative features were executed in white stone against red brick.  Horizontal banding, rosette windows, and Queen Anne Revival style bay windows were used to express luxury.

 
Roslyn Court Apartments

Dating to 1909, and designed by architect William Wallace Blair, the Roslyn Apartments was amongst the earliest apartment blocks to be erected in the city (The Historic Buildings Committee, Heritage Winnipeg, http://www.heritagewinnipeg.com/houses/roslyn.htm).  It was designed for affluent residents, as expressed through its large scale and firm use of Queen Anne Revival style.  Aspects of this design include an irregular roofline, the use of multiple bay windows, outside balconies, stained glasswork, and interior light wells.

 
Chelsea Court Apartments

Chelsea Court Apartments, dating to 1914, the Chelsea Court Apartments at Kennedy St. and Assiniboine Ave, consists of “eight individual building units enclosing a longitudinal court at right angles to the Assiniboine riverbank 100’ to the south” (Thompson, W.P. Winnipeg Architecture: 100 Years, 33).  Due to its inefficiency of land use, this design was not replicated.  The exterior of the buildings can be viewed as Spanish Colonial Revival in style, due to the broad use of stucco, with linear red brick detailing, as well as its red tile roof.

 
Pasadena Apartments

The Pasadena Apartments, of 220 Hugo Street, was one of the first buildings erected after World War I, dating to 1919 (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, plate 51).  This building can be attributed to Californian style, with elements of Spanish Colonial revival and Mission style such as the use of concrete tile and a red clay roof evoking an old Hollywood feeling.  While the exterior is plain, it conveys glamour.  Based upon the work of local firm Hooper & Hooper, the Pasadena was designed for Winnipeg’s affluent citizens (Historical Buildings Committee, Heritage Winnipeg, http://www.heritagewinnipeg.com/houses/pasadena.htm).

 

Bellcrest Apartments

The Bellcrest Apartments of 72 Lenore Street are attributed to architect and builder Bently Taylor in 1928.  The exterior is unique in its use of Manitoba limestone, which lends an all-over light colour (Historical Buildings Committee, Heritage Winnipeg, http://www.heritagewinnipeg.com/houses/bellcrest.htm).  The symmetry of the Bellcrest is also distinctive; its grid-like rectangular window patterning and centralized door create a stripped classical effect.  The implementation of decorative ironwork to the sills of some of the windows adds to the patterning of the windows, and helps to create a balance upon the façade.  The slightly extended portal column of the building lends itself to this symmetry, and can be seen as Palladian in style.

The Millicent Apartments

The Millicent Apartments of 85 Young Street, which stand adjacent to the Laurence Apartments, 75 Young Street, stands as an example of architectural design from a slightly later period.  The period from 1940-1955 produced the smallest apartment buildings known to Winnipeg.  Moreover, relatively few buildings were erected at this time (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, 67).  While the author of Winnipeg Study does not hold this type of design in high regard, describing it as “twin blocks, side by side, of stereotype stock plan layout chosen for easy, fast production regardless of site and environment.  A public, treed boulevard is their only amenity.”  (University of Manitoba, Planning Resource Centre, A study of apartment housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions, plates 76,77,78), the Millicent can be seen as a fine example of architecture situated around and during the Second World War.  Its streamlined decoration proves very effective in creating a sleek, sophisticated look well suited to its urban setting.

 

 

Bibliography

 
Humphreys, Barbara A.  The buildings of Canada: a guide to pre-20^th-century styles in houses,
    churches and other structures. Montreal : Reader's Digest Association, c1980.

 
Thompson, William Paul.  Winnipeg Architecture: 100 Years.  Winnipeg: Queenston House, 1975.

 
The Historic Buildings Committee, Heritage Winnipeg. http://www.heritagewinnipeg.com Site visited
    October 23, 2005.

 
University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture, Planning Resource Centre.  A study of apartment    
    housing in Winnipeg and recommendations for apartment building in the prairie regions : a research
    project undertaken by the Planning Resource Centre at the Faculty of Architecture, The University
    of Manitoba, sponsored by Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation/ [by] Dimitrios Styliaras,
    Arnold Koerte, [and] William H. Hurst.  Winnipeg: s.n., 1967.