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Casa Loma Building

The construction of the T. Eaton Company at 320 Portage Avenue was the catalyst that shifted Winnipeg’s retailers away from Main Street towards a new commercial centre of the city. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic on Portage Avenue increased dramatically as offices, stores and financial institutions began to fill up the available lots. Not only was the downtown business district expanding, but also the street railway system and automobile were opening up residential development away from downtown.

In 1909, the Casa Loma retail/apartment block was constructed at the southeast corner of Portage Avenue and Sherbrook Street for realtors, MacMillan and Vollans. Built at a cost of $106,000, this five-storey block was designed by architect J. H. G. Russell. The general contractor was the firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger Company Limited.

The ground floor features two public facades for retailers with large windows. The Dominion Bank, later the Toronto-Dominion Bank, was an original tenant at this site and remained until the 1990s. The residential areas provide wide hallways with high ceilings. There is dark wood accenting throughout the building’s doors and staircases. The suites offer high ceilings and many still have Murphy Beds that are disguised as fireplaces.

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