In 1909 the Casa Loma apartment and retail 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. The general contractor was the firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger Company Limited. The ground floor features two public facades for retailers with large window
s. 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. A tragic upper-floor fire on April 14, 1928 took the lives of four tenants. Firefighter David Yiddeau also lost his life battling the blaze. An investigation of the fire resulted in stricter enforcement of the city’s building codes and fire-safety measures. (courtesy of Virtual Heritage Winnipeg website)
