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Paterson Block

54 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3L, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2005/07/05

Primary elevation, from the east, of the Paterson Block, Winnipeg, 2007; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2007
Primary Elevation
Contextual view, from the southeast, of the Paterson Block, Winnipeg, 2007; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism 2007
Contextual View
Detail view of wall and roof treatment of the Paterson Block, Winnipeg, 2007; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 2007
Detail

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1909/01/01 to 1909/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/01/25

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Paterson Block, a three-storey brick apartment building, is located on a major thoroughfare in a mixed-use area on the southern edge of downtown Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg designation applies to the building on its footprint and the following elements: the entranceway and stairway, stained-glass windows and skylight.

Heritage Value

The Paterson Block, erected in 1909, is a well-appointed multiple-family residence in a reserved Tudor Revival style that exemplifies the type of luxurious downtown rental accommodation developed in the early 1900s when Winnipeg reached the size, wealth and sophistication that could support this market niche. To complement the building's setting in an area then noted for its grand homes, architect J.D. Atchison created a subdued, domestically proportioned structure enriched at the front by red brick and Tudor Revival details executed in stone, roughcast and ornamental half-timbering. This refined exterior was matched within and supplemented by features that emphasized privacy and convenience, including only two suites per floor, each spacious and bright, finished in quality materials and equipped with amenities usually reserved for single-family houses. Though its surroundings have greatly changed, the block itself retains considerable design integrity and remains a splendid illustration of affluent apartment living in the early twentieth century.

Source: City of Winnipeg Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development Minutes, July 5, 2005

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Paterson Block site include:
- the downtown location on the west side of Donald Street between Broadway and the Assiniboine River
- the building's placement, facing east and filling much of its lot, with a modest landscaped front yard

Key exterior elements that define the building's domestic Tudor Revival style include:
- the long, narrow, three-storey rectangular form constructed of brick over a limestone foundation, with a small central interior court with a glass skylight
- the two-volume composition, with the rear two-thirds plainly finished and flat roofed, and the front Tudor Revival in presentation, featuring a pitched side-gable roof with cross gables, finishes of red brick, roughcast and mock half-timbering, a pair of two-storey oriels, oversized brick chimneys, etc.
- the plentiful fenestration throughout, mostly tall flat-headed openings in various sizes and arrangements, some with modestly arched heads, and including large front sunroom openings, etc.
- the off-centre main entrance set within an ashlar stone architrave that also envelopes a multi-paned transom and south-side window, etc.
- other fine details such as the rusticated stone base, the wood and stone banding elements, the twin gables' heavy wooden brackets and bargeboards, the brick window heads and stone sills, the quoin-like intersection of red and common brick on the side walls, etc.

Key interior elements that define the building's well-appointed residential character include:
- the centre-hall plan, with two suites per floor oriented lengthwise east to west, including a light well, etc.
- the richly detailed common spaces, including the front vestibule lined with grey marble and with marble steps, the hall with finishes of natural hardwood and terrazzo flooring; the hardwood stairway with finely worked newel posts and handrails; the graceful Art Nouveau stained-glass stairway windows; etc.
- the long, narrow but spacious apartments with sunrooms, living rooms with fireplaces, bedrooms, dining rooms, pantries, kitchens and servants' quarters, and featuring hardwood flooring, trim and doors, built-in oak sideboards with cupboard doors of leaded glass, built-in pantry shelves with glass doors, stained-glass hallway windows that open on to the light well, etc.
- the basement caretaker's suite and brick partition walls delineating the boiler room and coal storage chutes, storage and utility rooms, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

City of Winnipeg

Recognition Statute

City of Winnipeg Act

Recognition Type

Winnipeg Landmark Heritage Structure

Recognition Date

2005/07/05

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Residence
Multiple Dwelling

Historic

Architect / Designer

J.D. Atchison

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

15-30 Fort Street Winnipeg MB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

W0219

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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