Memorable Manitobans: James Chisholm (1841-1920)

Architect.

Born at Paris, Ontario on 25 December 1841, he trained as an architect before coming to the Red River Settlement in the spring of 1877 to work for John Sifton as a timekeeper on construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway between Winnipeg and Whitemouth. He worked as an architect at Superior, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota for 12 years before returning to Winnipeg in 1901 where he was head of the architectural firm of James Chisholm and Son, in partnership with his son Colin C. Chisholm. It is said that he supervised construction of the Old Winnipeg City Hall after architect C. A. Barber was fired for incompetence.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba:

• Central School (Winnipeg), 1882
• Harris Block (154 Princess Street, Winnipeg), 1882
• Clarendon Hotel (311 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg), 1883
• Grace Methodist/United Church (Ellice and Notre Dame, Winnipeg), 1883
• Machray School No. 1 (Charles Street), 1886
• Zion Methodist Church (335 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg), 1904 - destroyed by fire, 8 February 1970
• W. J. Simpson residence (95 Academy Road, Winnipeg), 1905
• Young Methodist/United Church (222 Furby Street, Winnipeg), 1906
• W. J. Guest residence (75 Academy Road, Winnipeg), 1907
• IOOF Temple (293 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg), 1909-1910
• Sterling Bank building (283 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg), 1911
• Roland United Church, 1912
• Granite Curling Club (22 Mostyn Place, Winnipeg), 1913
• Marlborough Hotel (331 Smith Street, Winnipeg), 1913

On 22 February 1864, he married Elizabeth Goodfellow, at Brantford, Ontario. They had six children: Anna Alexandra Chisholm (b 1865, wife of Frank Heatly), Jeannette Campbell Chisholm (1868-1870), Gideon Goodfellow Chisholm (b 1870), John James Chisholm (b 1874), Helen Margaretta Chisholm (b 1878, wife of Fred D. Halpenny), and Colin Campbell Chisholm. He was a member of the Masons, Zion Methodist Church (where he was superintendent of the Sunday School), and the Winnipeg School Board, one of the founders of the Strathcona Curling Club, and an honorary member of the Manitoba Curling Association.

He retired to California and died at Ocean Park on 14 October 1920.

Sources:

“Died at Ocean Park, California, Thursday”, Manitoba Free Press, 16 October 1920, page 5.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

Winnipeg Building Index

Crescentwood, A History by R. R. Rostecki, Winnipeg: Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.

We thank Matthew Chisholm for providing additional information used here.

This profile was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Profile revised: 5 October 2012

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