A Legacy Built To Last: The Story Of Alexander Pollock

 

Over a century ago, a boy would be born. No one would know it at the time, however, years later, he would go on to become one of Winnipeg’s business forefathers and a man who would leave an impact on the city long after his time.

This story begins on October 7, 1882, when Alexander Pollock was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to parents William Pollock and Jane Brown Jackson. Born into a large family, he would have eight brothers, including an identical twin, Thomas, as well as five sisters.

Pollock family portrait featuring five year-old Alexander second from the left in the bottom row (1887)

Being from a family of 15, it was likely that he experienced a fairly affluent upbringing. As a young adult, Pollock would enlist in the Royal Scots Guards in Edinburgh and go on to serve in the force for four years.

Royal Scots Guards embarking for South Africa (1899)

In 1904, Pollock immigrated to Winnipeg and made his living as a general carpenter and handyman. He spent his first few years in the city in a temporary residence on Selkirk Ave. Around 1906, he would purchase a lot on Lansdowne Ave. in the new development just north of St. John’s Park, then known as Lincoln Park.

An ad for the Lincoln Park development (1903), Winnipeg Tribune

Lincoln Park was named after the American firm Lincoln Park Realty Co., whose capital fuelled the early development of the area. Along with the proximity to the river and St. John’s Park, much of the appeal of the area came from its lush oak and elm groves.

Picnic in Lincoln Park at the corner of Lansdowne and Cochrane (1910), L.B. Foote

By 1909, Pollock was working for the construction company Brown & Rutherford. It was around this time that he would meet the woman that he would later become married to and spend the rest of his life with, Maud Gertrude Conklin.

Pollock marriage announcement (January 21, 1911), Winnipeg Tribune

In 1911, the newly married couple would finally have a home of their own, on the lot Pollock had purchased years earlier on Lansdowne Ave. With a budget of $1900, it was the first complete building Pollock himself constructed.

31 Lansdowne Ave.

On the first block off of Scotia St., finished in a combination of shiplap siding on the main storey and and dark brown stained wood shingles on the second, the two-storey home features a steeply-pitched gable roof. The front porch is shielded by a small roof on the first storey, and the side of the home features a second storey gable dormer window. 

A prime example of the style of homes Pollock would go on to build in the coming years, his style of architecture can be characterized as simplistic. His homes were built with no other purpose but to be functional and solid. And because of this streamlined approach, he was able to build more efficiently.

However, the Pollocks wouldn’t live here long. By the fall of 1911, Pollock had already listed the home for sale and began constructing several others in the neighborhood.

An ad for 31 Lansdowne (October 14, 1911), Manitoba Free Press

He purchased several lots on Matheson Ave., including a corner lot at modern-day Jones St. where he was building three homes, 156, 158, and 160 Matheson Ave. He would go on to sell 156 and 158, and move into 160 as his second, and longer term home. 

An ad for one of his Matheson Ave. homes (June 9, 1913), Manitoba Free Press

The Matheson homes would be a continuation of his simplistic style of building, with 160 bearing two and a half storeys and a prominent dormer window on the front of the third storey. 

158 & 160 Matheson Ave.

Some other unique features are the sealed off porch on the left side of the front, as well as a large set of bay windows on the first and second storey on the west side.

Continuing this trend of building, then selling homes, Pollock built homes on McAdam (33 and 35), Machray (135 and 139), O’Meara (9 and 11), and several others on Matheson Ave.

Ad for 35 McAdam Ave. (June 19, 1912), Manitoba Free Press

Blueprint for 11 O’Meara St. (April 9, 1913), City of Winnipeg Archives

Ad for 11 O’Meara St. (October 16, 1913), Manitoba Free Press

A view looking east at Main St. and Church Ave. with newly-built O’Meara homes in the background (1926), St. John’s Cathedral Archives, Harry Shave Collection

In 1914, the First World War broke out. Pollock’s two brothers George and Martin were among the first to enlist with the Canadian army, in September and October respectively, along with three others who would also serve. Pollock would instead complete and sell his current projects for around a year before enlisting. He would eventually enlist in the spring of 1916 as a part of the 184th Overseas Bettalion.

Pollock’s enlisting papers (March 16, 1916)

The Bettalion would be absorbed into the 11th Reserve Bettalion soon thereafter, and Pollock didn’t see as much in the way of combat as his other brothers. He returned home by 1917. In May of 1917, it was announced that his younger brother Martin was among the 1259 soldiers killed in The Battle of Fresnoy. 

Martin Pollock’s obituary (May 16, 1917), Winnipeg Tribune

Only a year later, his elder brother George would too succumb to wounds from an earlier battle. 

George Pollock’s obituary (August 12, 1918), Manitoba Free Press 

Alexander stayed steadfast in his construction, and, during the 1920s, Pollock shifted his focus from residential to commercial building. One of the first examples would be the storefront block that would later bear his name. Built in 1922, 1403-1407 Main St. would be a one storey, three unit block.

Building plans for 1403-1407 Main St. (1922), Winnipeg City Clerks

The structure would be finished in a dark red brick, which would become a defining feature of Pollock’s buildings, and feature four parapets to separate each of the three units.

Pollock’s Hardware (2023)

Pollock would officially open a hardware store in the furthest north unit in 1922, then known as Keller’s Hardware, the store that would later go on to be called Pollock’s Hardware. He would simultaneously operate the store while continuing to build around the city.

A rare standalone ad for Pollock Hardware (April 29, 1937), Winnipeg Tribune

In 1925, Pollock embarked on his largest project to date. He would win the contract to construct a brand new apartment block on Edmonton St., facing Central Park at a cost of $80,000. 

Announcement of Pollock’s successful bid for the contract (April 21, 1926), Manitoba Free Press

Part of the project’s requirements were the demolishing of already existing homes on the street, which were predominantly Queen Anne Revival style of houses.

A row of houses on Edmonton St. facing Central Park (1903), William A. Martel & Sons

The subsequent four storey and 31-suite apartment block, on a 50 by 115 foot lot and called the Pollock Apartments, were built soon after and would be styled far different than the homes on the block that came before it. Built with a similar approach to Pollock’s residential homes, with the help of his partner and architect Alex Melville, the block was designed with very few ornamental or stylistic embellishments. 

Pollock Apartments (2020), George Penner

With a finish of red brick, the building features stone framing around the windows. Symmetrically designed, it also features four columns of elevated brick which form two larger bays on the sides and two smaller bays in the middle. The most visual interest comes from the crest where three stone and brick embellishments exist; two smaller diamonds on either side and a larger one along the middle with the ornamental pediment at the top of the roofline. 

It was around this time that Pollock would also make his final move to the home where he spent the rest of his life, 114 Cathedral Ave. Built in 1905, this home was unique in that it was the only home that Pollock would ever own and live in that he did not himself build. 

114 Cathedral Ave. (2023)

Built in a subtle Victorian style on a rubble stone foundation, the two and a half storey home features a finish of shiplap siding and fish scale shingles on the face of the third storey gable roof ends as well as the gable end of the front porch.

Unique features of the home include the enclosed porch with a large window on the right side of the front façade, the second storey bay windows, as well as the two small square windows on the second storey above the porch.

In 1928, Pollock would look to build his second apartment block just a few blocks south of his first. This one would be situated just south of Broadway Church, at 75 Kennedy St. 

Kennedy St. and Assiniboine Ave. looking north toward Broadway (1906), City of Winnipeg Archives

The new block, constructed at a cost of $150,000 on Pollock’s 75 by 120 foot lot, was to stand 104 feet tall and feature 39 suites. It would come to be known as the Willingdon Apartments. 

News of the new Willingdon Apartments (May 12, 1928), Manitoba Free Press and the permit issued (May 25, 1928), Winnipeg Evening Tribune

The building featured four levels and feature a similar brick and stone exterior to Pollock’s first apartment block. While also symmetrical, this building would feature seven distinct bays of brick elevation. Similar to the Pollock Apartments, the top storey features ornamented diamonds in stone, as well as six stone-capped parapets with a larger ornamented pediment in the middle. 

Front façade of the Willingdon Appartments (1978), Murray Peterson

Part of what distinguishes it from the earlier Pollock Apartments is the arched entry roof which is supported by four oversized wooden brackets. 

Willingdon Apartments (2023)

In 1929, Pollock would attempt his largest undertaking to date, and possibly the most sizeable mark he’d ever leave on the city. In Fort Rouge along Roslyn Rd., on a street of largely abandoned mansions and large single family homes, the effect of beginning of the Great Depression would set in. 

A 1917 Fire Atlas of Fort Rouge showing the lot Pollock purchased and the single family homes along Roslyn Road (May 1917), Murray Peterson

Pollock purchased one of those homes, the former residence of lawyer Albert Clements Killam, at 1 Roslyn Rd. He soon began demolishing the existing property to make space for the new apartment block. 

Initial announcement of the apartment block (March 30, 1929), Manitoba Free Press

The resulting two buildings, with 26 and 11 suites respectively, would come to be known as the Locarno Apartments. And at a cost of over $300,000 to construct, luxury would be the top priority. The exterior features a finish in Pollock’s trademark dark red William tapestry brick. And similar his two blocks before this, the Locarno blocks would feature a largely symmetrical look. 

Locarno Apartment building B (2023)

Also similar to Pollock’s past blocks, the exterior of each were ornamented in stone and brickwork featuring geometric shapes along parapets, reminiscent of the hardware store, spanning the length of the building. Decorative pediments filled the gap between the parapets along the middle and corner of the structure. The entryways both front façades feature an overhanging roof with a subtle molding and ornate light fixture. 

Locarno Apartment building B (2023)

The inside of the building, even more elaborate, featured luxuries for the time like intricate tile work along the stairway, brick fireplaces, arched doorways, and beautiful light oak flooring.

Inside of Locarno Apartment building B (2018), Murray Peterson

The Locarno Appartments was Pollock’s greatest and final achievement in construction. By the 1930s, between the three apartment blocks and his namesake hardware store he owned, Pollock would be among Winnipeg’s business elite.

Pollock meeting with other business leaders (September 2, 1936), Winnipeg Evening Tribune

With the constant revenue source of each of his buildings, by the age of 48, Pollock was able to comfortably hang up his tool belt and shift his focus and time from his businesses to his hobbies. 

A few years earlier he had become a member of the St. John’s Curling Club. In 1930, he was elected president of the organization and lead the club for the following two years. 

Announcement of Pollock being elected president (April 5, 1930), Manitoba Free Press

He would also go on to become a member of the Niakwa Country Club and Niakwa Lawn Bowling Club. Aside from his involvement in sports, Pollock seemingly kept a lower profile later in his life. In 1954, he sold the Locarno Apartments to an ownership group called Locarno Apartments Limited. 

On November 3, 1957, Pollock passed away in the Grace Hospital at the age of 75. 

Pollock’s obituary (November 4, 1957), Winnipeg Free Press

He would be buried in St. John’s cemetery. 

Pollock’s gravesite (2023)

Even through death, however, Pollock was unable to avoid the limelight. Only two months after his death, it was announced that there was a problem with his will. In a surprising turn of events, the only will he had ever written was quickly scribbled on the backside of a 10.5 by 2.5 inch floor polish ad before he left on a trip earlier in 1957. It would leave his entire fortune to his wife.

Coverage of Pollock’s will (January 16, 1958), Winnipeg Free Press

The sensationalized coverage of the disputed signature and validity of the will would end up making public the true extent of Pollock’s wealth. Having lived in his modest home on Cathedral Avenue for the past three decades, at the time of his death, his assets totalled in excess of $600,000; worth over $6.2 million today. Of note are the two apartment blocks he still owned, valued at $292,450, his cash on hand, over $294,000, and his Luxton hardware store, valued at less than $15,000.

Coverage of Pollock’s will (January 17, 1958), Winnipeg Free Press

In the end, the will was deemed genuine and his wife would end up with $300 per month tax free for the rest of her life, until she passed away on January 23, 1974. The two would never have kids to bequeath the fortune to, and given that Maud would have only used around $58,000 by the time of her death, it’s unclear where the rest of the fortune would go. 

Pollock’s legacy is one of great significance. A first generation Scottish-Canadian, First World War veteran and hero, and hard-working entrepreneur who built three apartment blocks, a hardware store, and at least a dozen homes in the Luxton area that still stand today. 

If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that, like the numerous buildings he would construct, his legacy is one built to last.

Subtle Grandeur: The Story Of 80 St. Cross Street

 

Many years ago, in the area known as St. John’s Park, a man would move his family from the rural community of Minnedosa and have a grand home built. The story of this neighborhood gem would begin in 1910, when Reverend Edward Anthony Wharton Gill would be among the first to call the area home.

Gill was born in Scraptoft, England in 1859 to Joseph Wharton Gill and Elizabeth King. He attended the University of London before teaching school for five years. In 1883, he immigrated to Canada and would teach at Brant School in Rockwood, Manitoba. 

Sketch of Brant School, Shayne Campbell

During this time, he would meet a lady from Ontario who had moved to Manitoba around the same time as him, Ellen Agnes Cook, and would marry her in 1886. Over the following decade, they would go on to have five children: Evelyn Jordan (1887), Alfred Wharton (1888), Ellen Mary (1891), Herbert DeArze (1893), and Agnes Lance (1897). 

St. John’s College at the southwest corner of Main St. and Church Ave. (1900), Archives of Manitoba

After studying remotely at the University of Manitoba’s St. John’s College, in 1889 Gill would be ordained as a priest and begin a 21 year tenure in Minnedosa at St. Mark’s Anglican Church.

St. Mark’s Anglican Church (1903-1904), Government of Manitoba

In 1910, Gill became a St. John’s College professor, teaching English, French, German, geometry, and history. He was also appointed to lead St. Martin’s Mission on Smithfield Ave. But upon the arrival of the seven person family to Winnipeg, one question remained: where would they live?

First mention of Gill leading a Sunday morning service at St. Martin’s Mission, and first mention of his new home, 3 St. Cross (October 15, 1910), Winnipeg Tribune

The answer was a magnificent Queen Anne, standing two and a half storeys tall and boasting 2600 square feet. No photos exist of 3 St. Cross, the original address, as it originally stood, but being the only house on the block a few hundred feet from the riverbank would ensure a full river view from the front windows. 

Originally finished in a combination of brick and shiplap cladding, the home now features white vinyl siding. The front (east) façade features a prominent wrap around porch that extends to the south side of the building and is supported with six wooden columns and embellished with a subtle railing and gingerbread trim.

The most striking feature on the home is the grand two storey tower and twin set of bay windows that look east and south toward the Red River and St. John’s Park, which is complimented with a white finial on top. The third storey features windows along the gable roof ends that look both east and south and a set of chimneys in matching red brick to the north and south. 

St. John’s Park as Gill would have seen it (1912), City of Winnipeg Archives

As the area matured and more homes were built along the street, in early 1912, the address would be changed from 3 to 80 St. Cross. Gill and his family would reside in the home for a decade. It was in the home during this period where Gill would write his now famous works, Love In Manitoba (1911), A Manitoba Chore Boy (1912), and An Irishman’s Luck (1914). 

An ad for Love In Manitoba (November 11, 1911), Manitoba Free Press

In August of 1919, Gill was appointed professor of Pastoral Theology at St. John’s College and Canon of St. John’s Cathedral, succeeding the previous Canon E.E. Phair. It was at this time that Gill would move from 80 St. Cross to the Parish Hall at 181 Church Ave. 

Gill being appointed Canon of St. John’s Cathedral (August 30, 1919), Manitoba Free Press and St. John’s Cathedral (around 1920), Winnipeg’s Digital Public History

In 1940, he would retire and move to 4 Emslie St.; just across from St. John’s Cathedral and the cemetery where he would be buried after passing away at the age of 85 on January 10, 1944. 

Gill’s gravesite (2023)

By 1920, 80 St. Cross would see its second owner: Harold Wynne Trenholme. Trenholme was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1878, son of Norman William Trenholme who was Justice of the Court of King’s Bench. After graduating from McGill University, he began a career in finance at the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Montreal. 

In 1907, he was transferred to Winnipeg and became branch manager of the Crump Block bank at Main St. and Dufferin Ave. Around this time he would meet Maud Elizabeth Matheson, daughter of Samuel Pritchard Matheson, and they would get married in 1912. In 1915, they would have their one and only son, Wynne.

Crump Block (1907), Jordan Makichuk

Trenholme would go on to manage the Dominion Trust Company before becoming the manager of the Winnipeg Mercantile Trust Company in 1918. It was around this time when the Trenholme family would move from their home at 139 Machray to 80 St. Cross. 

Trenholme and Archbishop Matheson, who lived at 172 Church Ave., being visited by a jumping deer (June 18, 1921), Winnipeg Evening Tribune

Trenholme would continue to live at the home until February 27, 1925, when he died of pneumonia. A day after his passing, a service would be held at the family home and was officiated by Revrend Canon Gill. 

Coverage of Trenholme’s passing (February 28, 1925), Manitoba Free Press, Winnipeg Evening Tribune

He would also be buried down the street at St. John’s Cemetery. 

Trenholme’s gravesite (2023)

The next owners of the home would be the Malby family: possibly the largest single family to inhabit the home. They would assume ownership almost immediately after Trenholme’s passing. The head of the home was Frederick Joseph Malby, who was born in London, England in 1885 and immigrated to Canada in 1907. 

In the 1910s he worked as a bookkeeper for a number of organizations including the Sons of England Benefit Society, St. Chrysostom’s Anglican Mission. In 1917, he began working for the city’s hydro department, later becoming the manager of the accounting department in 1918 and business manager in 1924. 

Winnipeg Hydro showroom (1924), Vintage Winnipeg

Together with his wife Florence he would have three sons, Arthur L., George, and Fred Jr., as well as five daughters. As the family grew, so did the need for a larger home. In 1926, the family would move from their longtime home on Polson Ave. to 80 St. Cross. 

Florence Malby winning first place in a radio quiz as part of the Second World War effort (1942), The Industrial Development Board of Canada

All three Malby boys would go on to graduate university and become engineers. The family would maintain possession of the home for around two decades. Interestingly enough, the family seemingly had additional guests in 1946, Lieutenant C.J. Spearin and his wife Doreen. Spearin was a member of the Royal Canadian Navy and was captured in 1942 and became a prisoner of war for eight months in Algeria before being freed in the 1943 invasion of North Africa. 

Announcement of Spearin being freed (March 17, 1943), Winnipeg Free Press

An advertisement for a P.E.O. Sisterhood event being hosted by Doreen at 80 St. Cross (May 18, 1946), Winnipeg Free Press

On December 12th, 1947, it was announced that the Malby family patriarch had passed away while on a trip in Toronto for the city. Not long after, Florence and the remaining kids would move out of the home.

Malby’s obituary (December 12, 1947), Winnipeg Free Press and gravesite (2023)

By 1949, the home had switched hands yet again. The house’s fourth owner would be Frank Leslie Chester. Chester was born in Winnipeg in 1901 to William G. and Nellie Chester. His father was a successful company manager, working with Tilden-Gurney and representing and managing Clare Bros.

Chester was educated in both Winnipeg and Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1923, he would marry Dorothea Helen McIntyre Lineham in Vancouver and they would have a son together in 1925, Ronald Miller Chester. Unfortunately, their marriage wouldn’t last and Chester would move away, leaving Dorothea and Ronald with her parents. In 1929, Helen would die in a car accident and Chester would travel back to Vancouver and re-adopt Ronald, bringing him to Winnipeg at the age of five. In 1930, Chester married Margaret Isabel Shumway and they settled at 158 Scotia St. 

After working as a salesman at one of the companies his father managed, Chester would open an agency business with his father called W.G. Chester & Son. They would represent Enamel Heating Products, manufacturers of furnaces, Hart and Cooley, and Tuttle and Bailey. Chester would go on to sell Enamel Heating Products and briefly go into partnership with Ernest H. Price with a business called Chester & Price, before selling his stake in the business in 1946. He would also open a successful hardware store called Chester’s Hardware at 950 Main St., on the corner of Main and Flora Ave.

Corner of Main St. and Flora Ave. (1940s), John Kehler

Ad for Chester’s Hardware (May 28, 1943), Winnipeg Tribune

All of his success in business would lead him to pursuing a career in political office. In 1946, he would run for city council as an Alderman for Ward 3 a second time.

Chester filing nomination papers (November 8, 1946), and opening campaign remarks (November 13, 1946), Winnipeg Tribune

Chester would campaign over the following weeks and conclude with a victory on the November 25th election day. It was during this period that Chester and his wife would begin to look for a new home. It was at some point during this time that the Chester family would move to 80 St. Cross. 

First appearance of Chester’s name listed alongside the address (1949), Henderson’s Directory

In 1949, Chester would be elected president of the North Winnipeg Liberal Association. This would pave the way for a run for office later that year, this time federally, as a Member of Parliament for Winnipeg North. He would win the race and serve as an MP until he lost his race the following election.

Coverage of Chester becoming North Winnipeg Liberal Association president (February 10, 1949), Winnipeg Free Press

Following this, he would move from the St. Cross home to Ottawa in order to be chairman of the Canadian Farm Loan Board where he would serve for six years. In 1960, he moved back to Winnipeg to became district manager for Investors until he passed away in 1966 after a long battle with cancer. 

Chester’s obituary (August 15, 1966)

In 1954, 80 St. Cross would change owners yet again. The fifth owner, and potentially the owner with longest consecutive ownership, would be the Roitmans. Samuel Roitman was born on March 7, 1902, and would make his living as a tailor at various businesses around Winnipeg including Broadway Tailors, Glazerman Fur Co., and Garnet R. Dodge Furs. He would marry his wife Esther in 1929. 

The Roitmans would purchase the home in the mid 1950s when it would be converted into a multi-family residence. It was around this time that the home began appearing in local classified regarding a suite for rent. 

Ad for a three room suite for rent (1956), Winnipeg Free Press

An interesting piece of this period in the home’s history is some of the tenants the Roitmans had. Their first and most notable guest was Maryon McKay. McKay was a Saskatchewan native who moved to Manitoba and was a trailblazer in the Royal Canadian Airforce, becoming the first female staff member of the force’s Survival Training School. Later on, and at the time of her stay at 80 St. Cross, she worked for the Society of Crippled Children.

A biography on McKay (December 15, 1952), Winnipeg Free Press

Roitman would pass away on April 18, 1985, and Esther on November 28, 1986. Around a year later, her name reappeared in the Legal section of the newspaper surrounding her will that had been lost. 

Ad searching for Esther Roitman’s lost will (December 14, 1987), Winnipeg Free Press

From the late 1980s onward, not much is known about the home. It last went for sale in August of 2008, so it’s likely that the current owners have resided there almost 15 years. 

Ad for the home (August 3, 2008), Winnipeg Free Press

The home is currently zoned as a Detached Single Dwelling by the city, so it’s likely that it was converted back to a single family home at some point in the last few decades. No photos currently exist of the inside of the home throughout the years, so there’s no way of knowing how much of the original character remains intact on the interior. 

80 St. Cross as it currently stands

But if the subtle grandeur of the exterior is any indication, the current owners are giving it the care and love that a home with this rich history most certainly deserves. And with this type of care, one can only hope that this 113 year-old Victorian will stand another century.