Memorable Manitobans: Edmund Walter Crayston (1871-1940)

Carpenter, architect.

Born at Helen Mills, Pennsylvania on 6 February 1871, son of Edmund Crayston (1842-1920) and Amelia Crayston (1842-1910), he was educated at Ridgeway, Pennsylvania. He came with his family to Manitoba in 1888 and farmed near Glenora.

In 1892, he moved to Winnipeg where he worked as a foreman carpenter until 1901 then as a draughtsman in the architectural office of James Henry Cadham before taking correspondence courses to train as an architect. He opened his own architectural practice in 1911, retiring in 1928. On 14 January 1903, he married Elizabeth Adair (c1874-1962, daughter of Alexander Adair) at Winnipeg. They had no children. He was a member of St. Paul’s United Church and IOF.

He died at his Winnipeg home, 867 Bannatyne Avenue, on 14 June 1940 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Brook House	79 West Gate, Winnipeg	1911
Victoria General Hospital	424 River Avenue, Winnipeg	1911
Delmar Apartments	623 William Avenue, Winnipeg	1912
Fensala Court	277 Arbuthnot Street, Winnipeg	1912
Loch Katrine Apartments	531 Furby Street, Winnipeg	1912
Acadia Apartments	590 Victor Street, Winnipeg	1913
Elsinore Apartments	677 Maryland Street, Winnipeg	1913
Linden Court	730 Maryland Street, Winnipeg	1913	Demolished (?)
Manitoba Medical College (expansion)	750-770 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
Tremont Apartments	694 Sherbrook, Winnipeg	1914	Destroyed by fire (2022)
Woodbine Hotel (expansion)	466 Main Street, Winnipeg	1923

Sources:

“Crowning testimony from prominent people,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 January 1904, page 5.

Marriage and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Who's Who and Why, Volumes 6 and 7, 1915-1916, page 613.

“Father and son burned to death; fire destroys home,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 December 1920, page 13.

Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 15 June 1940, page 3.

Obituary [Elizabeth A. Crayston], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 January 1962, page 23.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 March 2023

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!