The Bawlf house at the corner of Kennedy and Assiniboine was torn down in 1976. My friend Rick Lovell was the last tenant in the building. He had a sprawling basement suite as I recall. The building was mostly locked up, but access was possible to the main areas and the roof.
“In 1897, Nickolas Bawlf, a wealthy grain merchant, set about building his own castle at the corner of Kennedy Street and Assiniboine Avenue. Born in Ontario in 1849, Bawlf married Katherine (Catherine) Madden in 1877 and together they had nine children, three daughters and six sons. Bawlf made his fortune from grain and was one of the founders of the Winnipeg Grain exchange. He also dabbled in politics, serving on the Winnipeg School Board and as City Alderman for a single year (1883-1884). By the turn of the century, Bawlf had become one of 19 millionaires in Winnipeg, so undoubtedly no expense was spared when he built his new home at 11 Kennedy Street.
Bawlf’s new house was designed by Samuel Hooper, a prolific Englishman who went on to become Manitoba’s Provincial Architect in 1904. Originally trained in stone carving and monument design, Bawlf’s house seems to have only been Samuel’s fifth foray into architecture. Construction of the house cost around $12,000, which would be about $350,000 in 2020. P. Burnett served as the mason and J.A. Girvin as the carpenter.”
excerpt from Heritage Winnipeg, for more information full site at Heritage WinnipegThis is the House that Bawlf Built: 11 Kennedy Street – Heritage Winnipeg
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2 Responses
Thank you very much for this. That house has some special memories for me, even though I only spent a week or so in it in the summer of ’76. I think Rick’s suite was one of 2 in the basement. Had some fun in that car, too.
I lived just across the back alley at the time. Saw Rick quite often.