Chicago Charm: The Story of 136 Burrows Avenue

The story of 136 Burrows Avenue begins in 1881 when Andrew Grieve Sr. immigrated to Winnipeg from Ross Wade, Scotland. 

Grieve was a farmer and came to Winnipeg in order to retire and raise his five sons and two daughters with his wife, Margaret Grey Mann. The family eventually settled on the banks of the Red River at Burrows Avenue where they established a homestead and built one of the first homes on the street. 

Unfortunately, only around a decade after immigrating in 1892, the Grieve’s son Thomas passed away at only 35 years old. Over the course of several years, many of his other children moved away, including his daughters who both moved to Saskatchewan, his son John who moved to New York, and his son David who moved to Chicago to study architecture. His son Andrew Jr. remained in Winnipeg and became a prominent member of the music scene, opening a music shop and tuning pianos.

Andrew Grieve Jr. (October 30, 1933), Winnipeg Tribune

In September of 1894, it was announced that David Grieve was working on architecture plans for a grand home on the Grieve property that was to be unlike any other home in the city. 

Announcement for the new home’s construction (September 8, 1894), Winnipeg Tribune

Unfortunately, not long after that announcement, in September of 1895, Margaret passed away at 67 years old.

September 20, 1895, Winnipeg Tribune

The resplendent residence at 136 Burrows Avenue was completed soon after. It was built on the property on the southeast foot of Burrows and the riverbank. 

The home was built in the Queen Anne style and boasted 2300 square feet, featured two and a half storeys clad in B.C. redwood, a grandiose wrap around porch and second storey balcony, and its stunning feature: a three storey rectangular tower facing the Red River with a view of St. John’s Cathedral.

However, Grieve likely never lived in this architectural marvel built for his family. He instead spent his days next door at 130 Burrows Avenue, the slightly older and much smaller home. 

Over the next several years, 136 Burrows was inhabited by various people, including a cashier named T.C. Jones, and later the family of Baptist Rev. Alexander Grant who was the longtime minister at the First Baptist Church and who died in a boating accident in 1897.

September 16, 1893, Winnipeg Tribune

In 1905, the home was bought by pioneer Englishman Joseph Wasdell. Wasdell immigrated to Canada in the 1850s at 21 years old with his wife Mary Ann and children, eventually moving to Winnipeg in the 1881. Here he began business in the hardware industry as a tinsmith in the north part of the city and opened a business at 909 1/2 Main Street with his son Harry. 

Ad for a base burner and souvenir range sold by Wasdell (November 20, 1894), Winnipeg Tribune

Harry later lived across the street from the Wasdell house at 135 Burrows Avenue. Joseph shared the 2300 square foot 136 Burrows with several of his children over the time he lived there, including his daughters Julia and Louise, who lived there with their husbands. His wife Mary Ann died in 1907 at 68 years old from heart failure. 10 years later, in 1917, Joseph passed away at 81 and his two daughters inherited the home.

Joseph Wasdell with his grandson (January 24, 1917), The Voice

His daughter Julia in married Jowitt Dunnill in 1892, who was a railway conductor for the Canadian Pacific Railway known as “Big John” Dunnill. He immigrated to Winnipeg from Leeds, England in 1882 and began a three decade-long career with the C.P.R. He was the first conductor to drive a train into the town of Souris, was one of the oldest members of the Order of Railway Conductors, and was personal friends with several of the business elites in the industry like Sir William Van Horne, Sir George Bury, and Sir William Whyte.

Jowitt “Big John” Dunnill (May 28, 1927), Free Press Evening Bulletin

In his later years, he was in a railway wreck that necessitated the amputation of his leg. He was confined to the Burrows residence in a wheelchair and passed away at 67 years old on May 27, 1927.

Julia continued to live in the home for several more decades with her younger sister Louise and was even featured in an article on Burrows Avenue old-timers by Winnipeg Tribune writer and historian Lillian Gibbons in 1946.

May 18, 1946, Winnipeg Tribune

Just months after her interview, in August of 1946 she died at age 72 following a sudden illness. For the following two decades, Louise lived in the home on her own while retiring from a career as a Confidential Secretary and teaching Sunday School at St. John’s Cathedral. Her death in 1965 at 89 years old marked the last Wasdell to live in the home after six decades. 

August 9, 1965, Winnipeg Free Press

Over the following few decades, owners of 136 Burrows become less clear. But around 2000, the home was inhabited by Ron Clarke, the owner of two adult Rottweilers.

Clarke, his dogs, and the house made the news for unfortunate reasons in October of 2001 when a 15 year-old girl was dropped off on Magnus Avenue and ran off without paying her $13 fare. A couple of hours later, she cut through Clarke’s yard and was severely mauled by the two canines. 

October 4, 2001, Winnipeg Sun

As a result of the incident, both dogs were impounded by the city. And while in custody, the female dog, who was pregnant, prematurely gave birth to her litter and none of the baby dogs survived.

In the two decades since, the house has changed hands again. And even more recently, the newest owners of the home has had some extensive renovation and restoration work done, both on the exterior and interior. 

136 Burrows Avenue (2024)

Photos of the interior of 136 Burrows (2024), courtesy of Fred Landry

If the beauty of 136 Burrows, inside and out, is any indication, it’s very possible that this 130 year-old marvel of Illinois ingenuity can easily withstand another 130.

The Tragic Story of the Carver Family

 

Clifford Carver was born July 16, 1924 in Stony Point, Manitoba to William and Maggie Carver and grew up in a Métis family. He spent his early life in the St. Clements area and eventually met Florence Smith, from Belair, Manitoba. Together they had several kids and settled for a time in Beaconia in the 1950s. 

By the early 1960s the Carver family totalled 12, with 10 children, and the couple moved to Winnipeg in a terrace at 27 McGregor Street after spending a short period in East St. Paul. However, within the first little while of being in the block, a pipe burst and fire broke out in the building which left the large family without a place to live. 

January 26, 1961, Winnipeg Tribune

The family eventually found another home to live, which was a terrace just one street over at 39 Andrews Street. The Carver parents’ lives were extremely busy with 10 kids, but adding to it was the fact that one of their sons Dennis suffered from chronic pneumonia. He spent the vast majority of his first three years of life at the hospital getting care. 

Dennis celebrating his third birthday in the hospital with his family and caregivers (April 2, 1962), Winnipeg Tribune. 

During this time, the family struggled financially. In 1961, the family was referred to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) by the Children’s Hospital. Within a few more years, they had a family of 15. Clifford was only able to find part-time work as a labourer and in a coal yard because of a lack of education. Meanwhile, Florence struggled with depression and alcohol use, potentially exacerbated by her hysterectomy surgery she received after their youngest was born. The two received around $230 per month in welfare.

The Carvers’ home on the right, 39 Andrews Street (January 15, 1965), Winnipeg Tribune.

The two relied on routine visits from East St. Paul councillor Donald Deans, who began seeing them in 1961 and brought them food vouchers. The Carvers originally lived in East St. Paul and because of existing legislation, they kept receiving welfare from the RM of East St. Paul instead of Winnipeg after they moved to the North End. Beginning in late 1963, they were also helped by the parish guild of St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church with donations of food, clothing, and appliances. 

January 15, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

All seemed to be going well in early 1964, but later on in the year the family’s living conditions regressed. Though the parents both struggled with various issues, both Deans and the president of the guild Veronica Mensforth agreed that they were trying, deserving of help, and that their kids were happy.

On Christmas Day, Florence walked out on Clifford and the children so Clifford asked her mother to help look after them, including their baby boy who was sick. She stayed for two or three days. Florence eventually returned a couple of days later, however she only stayed a few more hours before leaving again. On New Year’s Eve of 1964, Clifford left home in the late morning to find Florence and put their oldest son, who was 15, in charge of the children when they were out. 

Six of the Carver kids and their babysitter (January 8, 1965), Winnipeg Tribune

A few hours later, after the newborn was treated by home-care for his lung condition by the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Winnipeg Police were informed that neither of the parents were home and called CAS. Both a social worker and councillor Deans arrived and found little food in the house. The social worker took the two eldest boys to the store and bought $20 of groceries and instructed the police to periodically check in on the children. The infant who was sick was brought to the children’s hospital.

Meanwhile, Clifford found his wife at a The National Hotel on Main Street near Logan Avenue drinking and decided to join her and her mother while persuading her to return home. The police called CAS again when the 15 year-old decided to leave home and they were informed that the parents were likely at a hotel drinking. Clifford returned home around 10:30 and was not drunk. Florence returned soon after. 

The National Hotel (March 13, 1950), Winnipeg Tribune via Christian Cassidy

The police warned them to stop leaving their children alone and to address the dirty state of the house. A few days later, the police returned and found the house in the same state and brought the case to the Crown prosecutor. On January 7th, charges were filed against the couple for neglect of their youngest son and they were ordered to appear in court the following day.

The couple denied legal representation and put a 17 year-old neighbour in charge of their children when they appeared in court in front of prosecutor John D. Montgomery and judge Isaac Rice. They preemptively pleaded guilty to all charges. 

John D. Montgomery (n.d.), J. Gordon Shillingford Inc

The couple’s trial lasted 25 minutes and the vast majority of it was Montgomery explaining the story of the past several weeks at the Carver residence. The rest of the time was spent by Rice lacing into the couple over the charges and demeaning Florence over the number of children she had. 

January 22, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

The final part of the trial involved Rice asking how much each of the defendants had to drink on the night of New Year’s Eve, and comparing the cost of the 20 or so beers they each had, bought by Florence’s mother, to the price of milk that could have been bought for the children. 

Judge Isaac Rice (December 8, 1966), Don Hunter for the Winnipeg Tribune

The verdict by Rice was unsurprisingly guilty, and he sentenced each of them to one year in jail. His closing monologue was a lamentation about how Montgomery, and especially himself, would be the scapegoats of the people “coming out and crying” for the couple. 

January 22, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

The couple was immediately taken to jail and their children began to be scattered all over the city in CAS foster homes in the West End, Fort Rouge, East Kildonan, Elmwood, St. James, and St. Vital. 

In an astounding display of sensationalism, the Winnipeg Tribune plastered the faces of six of the Carver children on the front page of the paper the day after the verdict in a story rife with inaccuracies about the case and very descriptive imagery to paint a specific picture of the Carver family of living on a “raw fish diet” with parents that went on a “two day drinking spree.”

January 8, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

In response, civil lawyer Harry Walsh voluntarily stepped up to represent the Carvers and within a week had filed both an appeal to overturn the conviction in County Court and an application for bail to have the couple released. 

January 16, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

Walsh compiled two dozen different grounds for the appeal: including the couple not understanding the charge and penalty of the plea, them not having an opportunity to consult with counsel and denying a lawyer because they said they could not afford one, that the allegation of the parents being absent from the home for 30 hours and kids not being fed was not factual, and that “the conviction was against law, evidence, and the weight of evidence.” He also challenged the “highly inflammatory address” given by the prosecutor. 

Harry Walsh Q.C. (n.d.), Jewish Foundation of Manitoba

In the lead up to the retrial, the Carvers were also arrested on a separate offence that was also reported by the Tribune for being drunk on the street and “several other charges.”

Judge W. A. Molloy in centre (December 12, 1956), Winnipeg Tribune

The case took around three months to re-litigate and it was overheard by Judge William Austin Molloy. At the end of March, Molloy delivered his verdict which acquitted Clifford on all charges and gave Florence a one-year suspended sentence because he felt she was “emotionally disturbed” and “needed sympathy and assistance she couldn’t receive in jail.”

March 30, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

Throughout the process, the Winnipeg Tribune also faced intense criticism for its reporting in the lead up and aftermath of both cases and interference of the trial. But more, the re-trial revealed that almost all of the details initially reported were factually inaccurate. 

Clifford had not left the children for 30 hours, he had left them for under 12. The kids were not starving from only having eaten since the previous morning, Clifford had fed them porridge that morning prior to leaving and there was still cold meat, bread, porridge, and powdered milk in the house when he left.

Even the baby, who was taken to the hospital because of an acute respiratory attack on December 31st, had been taken in the previous day by Florence’s mother for a checkup and the doctor found him happy and his lungs to be in good shape.

But even before all the facts came out, CAS found the case how it was prosecuted from the very beginning to be abnormal. CAS Executive Director Asta Eggertson was clear that the organization dealt with over 500 cases per month, and outlined just how heartbreakingly common it was for families to have extremely poor living conditions, yet the only difference with the Carvers was that they went to jail for it. 

July 9, 1965, Winnipeg Tribune

After the case, the Carver family returned to their lives out of the public spotlight. Florence passed away at 51 years old on July 19, 1983 and Clifford passed away on July 27, 1990 at 64.

Walsh, who spent the first three months of 1965 successfully defending the Carvers, went on to play a key role in abolishing the death penalty in 1976. 

Harry Walsh in his office (n.d), Mike Deal, Winnipeg Free Press

For his career spanning 71 years, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manitoba in 2003 and the Order of Canada in 2010. At the time of his passing, February 24, 2011, he was Canada’s oldest practicing lawyer at 97 years old. 

Ladies of Luxton: Additional Content

Hello and welcome additional content from our Ladies of Luxton walk!  

Francis Cheshire (56 Bannerman):

Lord Selkirk High School 1946-47 yearbook

56 Bannerman (1978)

Helen Filimon (58 Bannerman):

One of the first ads for Helene’s (July 9, 1938), Winnipeg Tribune

Ad for Helene’s relocation (January 2, 1954), Winnipeg Free Press

Adrienne’s at 345 Portage (1950s)

Patricia Kettner (57 Bannerman):

Pat Kettner at the GBR office (early 1950s)

Pat, Paul, and family looking at the progress on 837 Airlies (1958)

Interior of 837 Airlies

Interior of 837 Airlies

Additional resources: 

https://bookoflife.jewishfoundation.org/ebol-donors/pat-waterman-and-paul-kettner

https://winnipegarchitecture.ca/patricia-kettner/

https://winnipegarchitecture.ca/837-airlies-street/

https://shop.winnipegarchitecture.ca/product/manitoba-women-in-design/109

Judy Wasylycia-Leis (59 Bannerman):

Pamphlet for one of Judy’s campaigns in Ontario (1970s)

Wasylycia-Leis releasing her assets and liabilities on the porch of her home (June 12, 2014)

64 Bannerman:

64 Bannerman in flames (2010), CTV News

Alfreda Attrill (90 Bannerman):

Attrill’s Certificate of Service (November 25, 1919)

Attrill tending to a patient in La Touqet, France (1914-16)

Winnipeg Tribune article on Attrill by Lillian Gibbons (August 22, 1942)

Additional resources: https://hscarchives.wordpress.com/alfreda-jenness-attrill/

Email: nwwhs@gmail.com

(OPINION) Soapbox of Scotia: Profiteering, and the Problems of Infill Housing

 

Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis. Last year, the country welcomed a million new people into the country as the total population crossed 40 million. Yet, during the very same year, the rate of new homes being built actually fell. For every new home being built, five people are granted citizenship. 

At the same time, even as interest rates skyrocketed, the price of houses was only marginally affected. I think it’s clear that we need more homes and greater affordability. 

The city’s answer to this in recent years has been to sprawl in all four directions — building new neighborhoods like Island Lakes, Bridgwater, Ridgewood West, and most recently, Parkview Pointe in West St. Paul. But with the houses primarily being single family, and the neighborhoods being entirely car-dependent, it’s an incredibly inefficient and unaffordable way of housing people. 

Aerial view of Bridgwater

I think the obvious answer is that the city needs more density in central areas. This includes condos, apartments, and overall taller buildings that can accommodate more people with less land. A small part of it is infill development in older neighborhoods that were originally zoned R1 or R2. 

Since most of these neighborhoods were developed decades ago, space is limited for new homes. Of course preserving and repurposing of existing structures should be prioritized and encouraged, but from time to time — through abandoned or fire-damaged properties, or small homes on large lots — opportunity arises for something new to be built. This should be a positive opportunity to create more density and bring more capital and beauty to a neighborhood. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t play out that way. 

In the proposal stage, it seems developers get whatever they want and wherever they want it. Splitting a lot three ways and tearing down a home that’s still functional? Building a home that looks like a cube of tin and using solid concrete as landscaping on a 25 foot lot? Building something nearly twice as tall as any of the neighboring houses and look nothing like them? You want to maintain ownership and rent them at a rate that no one can afford? Approved, approved, approved. 

73 and 75 Newton Avenue.

And it becomes overwhelmingly clear who runs the show at city hall and what the intention of these builders are: profit, with not a care in the world what neighboring homeowners have to deal with once the project is approved. 

I’ve been told by a city councilor that the purpose behind these duplexes (the term the City of Winnipeg uses is “single family home with a secondary suite,” even though functionally they’re just duplexes) on 25 foot lots is so that a family or young couple can afford to purchase a home in a mature neighborhood and use the revenue of the additional unit to pay for the mortgage. There’s some pretty glaring issues with that line of thinking.

149 and 145 Cathedral Avenue.

Number 1: these infills are rarely sold. Usually, due to rent on properties like this raking in $4000/month each or more, the builder intends on building them and profiting off the revenue from renting in perpetuity. That’s why they seemingly so rarely go for sale after they’re built. 

Number 2: when they are sold, they aren’t affordable enough for the average person to buy them. As it stands, no program exists to take into consideration additional rental revenue when a duplex is purchased as a primary residence. Meaning, regardless of whether you can prove to a bank that you’ll be making $1500+/month as a landlord with your new home, you still need to be able to qualify for the full amount of the mortgage. 

So let’s say hypothetically that I’m half of a young couple that was looking to buy a house in 2022 and have a budget of around $350,000. A scenario that hits rather close to home. The problem is that not a single one of these types of homes would fit into that average budget. So while a $550,000 duplex (there’s currently one for sale in Elmwood) with a $1500/month contribution factored in from a renter would give us roughly the same monthly payment as a home in our price range, the option go that route was entirely out of the question since our budget wasn’t over $500,000 to begin with. 

A best case scenario is that folks who rent these homes treat it like their own. However, often times this doesn’t seem to be the case. All the while, when issues arise, the responsibility of fixing them falls on neighbors rather than the owners and landlords.

So we’re left with unaffordable rentals that change the dynamic of neighborhoods, and that’s even before we discuss the architecture.

Recently completed duplexes at 154 and 156 Perth Avenue.

These buildings, by and large, are ugly. That’s just my opinion (and seemingly the opinion of almost anyone who lives anywhere near one or has even seen one). Objectively though, at least in older neighborhoods, they often look absolutely nothing like surrounding houses and the neighborhood at large and frequently dwarf surrounding properties. They’re clearly just cookie-cutter houses made with the largest amount of scale and cheapest possible materials in order to maximize profit for the builder. All the while, the consideration of those who are forced to live next to them once they’re built is ignored.

It’s fair to argue that the diversity of architecture in older neighborhoods is a positive, and, to some extent, I would agree. In north west Winnipeg, we have examples of homes that date back nearly 200 years all the way through Victorian, Tudor, Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern, and all the way to modern. If you own a property and choose to build something new as a principal residence, of course you should get to choose what it looks like. This is not the issue. 

Recent examples of diverse modern architecture on Scotia Street.

On the other hand, I think we need to hold builders — that are building for the sake of profit and often demolishing an existing house to do so — to a higher standard. I’m not claiming to be the arbiter of what gets to be built, and what should or shouldn’t to torn town to build it. But maybe — and I know this sounds crazy — the city should require developers to get support for these projects from within the community. And those in the direct vicinity of the proposed property should have a degree of control over what it looks like.

What does good infill and higher density housing look like on quiet streets in older neighborhoods? Well we only need to look at our past. Terrace houses have been a part of our city since its inception. The difference nowadays is that we have the technology to make these fit into smaller lots and waste less space, and the scale to make them far cheaper than they would have been originally. 

Wright’s Terrace & Missler Terrace (1882/1978), University of Manitoba Archives, City of Winnipeg Archives

This approach has already been scaled up in places like Toronto, where often townhouses are reflective of the architecture in the neighborhood they reside.

Example of newer multi-family developments in Toronto.

This could be the blueprint for any 50-150 foot lot on quieter streets, surrounded by older, single family homes. It would seem to make even more sense than the two duplexes on a 50 foot lot when they have an awkward 4-5 foot gap wasted in between them that could otherwise be used for valuable floor space. 

Terrace-style houses may not be a solution to smaller 25 foot lots that open up. In that case, virtually any of these classic architecture styles, with a little effort, could be implemented in a 25 foot lot infill situation. 

Examples of classic architecture being used on smaller lots.

Is there a high possibility it’ll cost builders more to make aesthetically-appealing structures like this? Yes. However, if they’re required to make these changes by law and the scale goes up in the city as more are built, the cost will eventually come down. This is not reinventing the wheel. It’s using already successful models from other cities to ensure that infill not just suits the neighborhood, but actively contributes to its beauty. 

And guess what: builders have already shown that it can be done profitably here in Winnipeg. In 2016, developer Number TEN Architectural Group bought a property along St. Mary’s Road in Norwood Flats and proceeded to built a multi-family complex that very much suits the character of the area. 

96 St. Mary’s Road

A person who just bought an early 1900s home just struggling to get by, or elderly couple that has lived in the same home for decades, probably can’t afford to take on builders who have millions at their disposal to entice city councillors. It should be the responsibility of council members to stand up for those of us who reside in mature neighborhoods and not caving to developer’s every demand. Because if the quality of livability goes down for everyone else in the neighborhood as these infill structures go up, what really is the point in building them? 

435 Alfred Avenue, boarded up within 3 years of being built.

Without proper forethought and implementation, a 3 year-old infill can end up no different from a 100 year-old teardown. And without city council properly addressing Winnipeg’s mental health and drug crisis, no amount of infill is going to rejuvenate a neighborhood. 

Returning to Canada’s housing crisis and how it relates to these infill structures, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that these dozen or so new infills per neighborhood every year are peanuts in the grand scheme of things. Winnipeg’s population is increasing by at least 8000 people per year and these subdivisions and infills are not going to be what makes the major difference to housing and affordability. 

The things that will — like the Fulton Grove development on the Parker Wetlands — have been deliberately stalled by city planners, and because of it, all of us taxpayers are on the hook for $5 million after the developer successfully sued the city. That development, which should already be mostly built by now, will boast around 1900 units upon completion. 

Artist’s conception of Fulton Grove, Gem Equities

So the next time you hear the housing crisis being used as a scapegoat for these poorly-planned and designed infills, especially by someone involved in municipal politics, remember the far larger developments that have been stalled and could have been built during that time.

And at the same time, the city just approved looser rules surrounding infills — allowing developers to cram four unit, four storey buildings on a single 25 foot lot so long as they’re remotely close to transit in an effort to grasp new federal funding. Developers already can’t get infill right, yet council members (all except three — Brian Mayes, John Orlikow, and Shawn Dobson —  voted in favour of the new changes) seem hellbent on giving them the keys to our older neighborhoods. How are we supposed to be excited about that?

The more I read about the dissatisfaction with current infill, the more I realize that it’s not a case of Not In My Backyard; it’s a case of “don’t build it in my neighborhood if it fundamentally destroys part of the reason I moved here to begin with.”