 |
William Anderson Martin
|
School building commissioner, architect.
Born at Edinburgh, Scotland on 26 March 1893, he received architectural training at the University of Edinburgh before emigrating to Canada in 1913. He worked for the George Fuller Construction Company of New York, as a project consultant for the construction of the Fort Garry Hotel and Merchants’ Bank Building in Winnipeg, and was associated with John Danley Atchison.
During the First World War, he served overseas with the 184th Canadian Infantry Regiment. Returning to Winnipeg, he joined the teaching staff of the Winnipeg School Board as the Head of Architecture and Mechanical Drafting at Kelvin Technical High School (1920-1929, not to be confused with William Martin, who also taught at Kelvin during this time). In February 1929, following the retirement of James Bertram Mitchell, he was appointed Building Commissioner for the School Division, serving until retirement in 1958. During this period he oversaw 75 school additions and new constructions.
In 1922, he married Vivian Edna Martin (?-1978) and they had three sons: William Steward Arnold Martin, David Duncan Martin (1929-1979), and Ian Montgomery Martin (1929-1988). A golfing enthusiast, he was a member of the Assiniboine Golf Club and Niakwa Country Club. Other involvements included President of the Winnipeg Burns Club (1952) and membership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, King Edward Preceptory and Shrine, and AF & AM (Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 3).
He died at the Winnipeg General Hospital on 2 April 1962 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery.
His supervised construction projects in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
Casey Street, Winnipeg
1929
567 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg
1929-1930
96 Carmen Avenue, Winnipeg
1929
110 Ellen Street, Winnipeg
1930
Luxton School (addition)
111 Polson Avenue
1947-1948
1070 Dominion Street, Winnipeg
1948
1410 Logan Avenue, Winnipeg
1948
633 Inkster Boulevard, Winnipeg
1948
1350 Grosvenor Avenue, Winnipeg
1948-1949
1070 Clifton Street, Winnipeg
1949
Florence Nightingale School (expansion)
31 Shaughnessy Street, Winnipeg
1949-1950
Demolished (2003)
350 Rockwood Street, Winnipeg
1949-1950
1510 Corydon Avenue, Winnipeg
1950-1951
1555 Wall Street, Winnipeg
1951
300 Carpathia Road, Winnipeg
1953
691 Montrose Street, Winnipeg
1954
Demolished (1999)
1720 John Brebeuf Place, Winnipeg
1955
Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute (addition)
720 Alverstone Street, Winnipeg
1957
Attestation papers [William Martin], Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.
“To reorganize school board's building dept.,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 February 1929, page 3.
Birth notice [Martin twins], Manitoba Free Press, 6 July 1929, page 31.
“Tenders for fence,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 July 1929, page 11.
“Tomlin new director of school supplies,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 September 1929, page 12.
“New school in Glenwood to have eight large rooms,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 July 1930, page 24.
“Model of school for city shown [Photo caption, River Heights School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 February 1947, page 3.
Winnipeg School Days, 1871-1950 by W. G. Pearce. [University of Manitoba Libraries]
“Hazel Manning chooses evening ceremony to wed Ian M. Martin,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 October 1954, page 6.
[Photo caption, “Trustee lays cornerstone”], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 June 1956, page 14.
“Tender for school building [Daniel McIntyre School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 June 1957, page 38.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 April 1962, page 23.
Obituary [Vivian E. Martin], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 January 1978, page 34.
Obituary [David Duncan Martin], Winnipeg Free Press, 28 June 1979, page 48.
Obituary [Ian Montgomery Martin], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 February 1988, page 46.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Randy Rostecki, Robert Hill, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 29 September 2025
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 SearchBrowse 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 | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 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 | 2025
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
