Memorable Manitobans: Alexander D. Melville (1873-1949)

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Alexander D. Melville
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Architect.

Born at Fraserburgh, Scotland on 20 January 1873, son of William Gordon B. Melville (1843-?) and Sarah Noble (1854-?), he received training in architecture and civil engineering at Aberdeen. In 1903, he and his family moved to Winnipeg, where he set up an architectural practice in partnership with his younger brother William N. Melville, who had arrived two years earlier. They specialized in the design of municipal fire halls, being responsible for most of the ones in Winnipeg.

On 26 April 1899, he married Helen Ann Elfert (1879-1953) and they had four children: Gertrude Helen Melville (1901-1928, wife of Earl Gordon Braithwait), Williamina Gordon “Dolly” Melville (1902-1975), Barbara “Lena” Melville (1903-1946), and Alexander Burnett Melville (1905-1961). The family lived at 539 William Avenue. He was a member of the St. Andrew’s Society and St. Andrew’s Yacht Club. He had a summer home at Dunnottar Point on Lake Winnipeg, and was an avid curler.

He died at his Winnipeg home in the Winston Block, 4-914 Grosvenor Avenue, on 31 March 1949 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

Notre Dame Avenue at Nena (Sherbrook) Street, Winnipeg

1903

Demolished (?)

Fire Hall No. 3

56 Maple Street, Winnipeg

1904

 

Fire Hall No. 5

354 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg

1904

Demolished (2011)

Fire Hall No. 6

66 Pearl Street, Winnipeg

1904

Demolished (?)

Fire Hall No. 7

349 Burrows Avenue, Winnipeg

1904

Demolished (1998)

McRae Block

267-269 James Avenue, Winnipeg

1904

Demolished (1970s)

Scott House

200 Colony Street, Winnipeg

1904

 

Assiniboine Block (conversion to hotel)

171-181 Main Street, Winnipeg

1904-1905

Demolished (1982)

Ashford Apartments

381 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (?)

Brunswick Hotel

571 Main Street, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (?)

Central Congregational Church (expansion)

374 Hargrave Street, Winnipeg

1905

Demolished (1936)

James Grant Residence

Balmoral Street, Winnipeg

1905

 

Dr. Robert Mackenzie Residence

Broadway, Winnipeg

1905

 

Bijou Theatre

Albert Street, Winnipeg

1905

Destroyed by fire (1979)

Boyce Carriage Building

316 Ross Avenue, Winnipeg

1905-1906

 

Glines House

55 Hargrave Street, Winnipeg

1906

 

Fire Hall No. 8

325 Talbot Avenue, Winnipeg

1906

 

Broadway Court

251 Broadway, Winnipeg

1906

Demolished (1982)

F. C. Patterson Residence

Stradbrook Place, Winnipeg

1906

 

Albert Thexton Residence

Stradbrook Place, Winnipeg

1906

 

Touraine Apartments

410 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg

1907

Demolished (1986)

Arthur Stewart Residence

67 Harvard Avenue, Winnipeg

1907

Demolished (?)

Grand Opera House

818 Main Street, Winnipeg

1908

 

Fire Hall No. 9

1470 William Avenue West, Winnipeg

1909

 

Fire Hall No. 10

845 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg

1910

 

Fire Hall No. 11

180 Sinclair Street, Winnipeg

1910

 

Fire Hall No. 12

1055 Dorchester Avenue, Winnipeg

1911

 

Fire Hall No. 13

410 Cathedral Avenue, Winnipeg

1911

 

Starland Theatre

626 Main Street, Winnipeg

1911

Demolished (1921)

Coliseum Dance Hall

225 Fort Street, Winnipeg

1912

Demolished (?)

Canadian Film Exchange Theatre

646 Main Street, Winnipeg

1912

 

Edisonia Movie Theatre / Colonial Theatre

608 Main Street, Winnipeg

1912

 

St. James Fire Hall

200 Berry Street, Winnipeg

1912

 

Victoria Theatre

300 Fort Street, Winnipeg

1912

Demolished (1930)

St. James School No. 7 / Linwood School

266 Linwood Street, Winnipeg

1914

 

Fire Hall No. 14

161 Lipton Street, Winnipeg

1914

 

Fire Hall No. 15

542 Osborne Street, Winnipeg

1914

 

St. Vital Fire Hall

600 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg

1914

 

Decker School No. 320

Decker, RM of Hamiota

1920

Demolished (?)

Oakwood School No. 439 (renovations)

Oak Lake, RM of Sifton

1921

 

Sperling Consolidated School No. 1488

Sperling, RM of Morris

1924

Demolished (2006)

Pollock Apartments

414 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg

1926

 

Baldur Telephone Exchange Building

Baldur, RM of Argyle

1928

 

CKX Radio Building

816 Princess Avenue, Brandon

1928

Demolished (1941)

Crystal City Telephone Exchange Building

210 Broadway Street, Crystal City, Municipality of Louise

1928

 

Elmwood Telephone Exchange Building

230 Martin Avenue West, Winnipeg

1928

 

Emerson Telephone Exchange Building

15 Main Street, Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin

1928

 

Roblin Telephone Exchange Building

130 Second Avenue NW, Roblin, Municipality of Roblin

1928

 

Roland Telephone Exchange Building

Roland, RM of Roland

1928

 

Souris Telephone Exchange Building

27 Crescent Avenue West, Souris, Municipality of Souris-Glenwood

1928

 

The Pas Telephone Exchange Building

154 Third Street West, The Pas

1928

 

Glenwood School (expansion)

51 Blenheim Avenue, Winnipeg

1928-1929

 

Dunbar Apartments

61 Furby Street, Winnipeg

1929

 

Elm Creek Telephone Exchange Building

Elm Creek, RM of Grey

1929

 

Binscarth Telephone Exchange Building

106 Russell Street, Binscarth, Municipality of Russell-Binscarth

1929

 

Cartwright Telephone Exchange Building

Cartwright, Municipality of Cartwright-Roblin

1929

 

Manitoba Government Telephones Building (addition and alterations)

19 Ninth Street, Brandon

1929

 

River Heights Telephone Exchange Building

413 Niagara Street, Winnipeg

1929

 

Apartment Block

Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg

1930

 

Miami Telephone Exchange Building

Miami, RM of Thompson

1930

 

Rivers Telephone Exchange Building

Rivers, Municipality of Riverdale

1930

 

Beausejour Telephone Exchange Building

Beausejour

1930

 

Transcona Telephone Exchange Building

101 Victoria Avenue West, Winnipeg

1930

Demolished (?)

Virden Telephone Exchange Building

560 Seventh Avenue South, Virden

1930

 

Manitoba Telephone System Building

166 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg

1930-1932

 

Telephone Exchange Building

Portage Avenue, Winnipeg

1931

 

Elkhorn Telephone Exchange Building

210 Richhill Avenue West, Elkhorn, RM of Wallace-Woodworth

1932

Demolished (?)

CKY Radio Building

Headingley

1934

 

Swan Lake Telephone Exchange Building

Swan Lake

1935

 

Equipment Depot Storehouse (renovations)

1569 Orange Street, Winnipeg

1935

 

Hamiota Telephone Exchange Building

59 Fourth Avenue, Hamiota, Municipality of Hamiota

1936

Demolished (2005)

Manitoba Telephone System Building (alterations)

166 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg

1936

 

Norwood Telephone Exchange Building (additions and alterations)

235 Kenny Street, Winnipeg

1938

 

Teulon Telephone Exchange Building

52 Main Street, Teulon

1938

 

Boissevain Telephone Exchange Building

Boissevain, Municipality of Boissevain-Morton

1938

 

Stonewall Telephone Exchange Building

336 Main Street, Stonewall

1941

 

Selkirk Telephone Exchange Building (addition)

321 Manitoba Avenue, Selkirk

1941

 

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Melville Cottage (17 Melville Lane, Dunnottar)

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 2 April 1928, page 18.

Obituary [Gertrude Brathwalt], Manitoba Free Press, 13 April 1928, page 5.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 18 July 1928, page 17.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 30 July 1928, page 43.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 16 February 1929, page 18.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 7 August 1929, page 15.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 August 1929, page 15.

“Plans ready for six new telephone exchanges,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 March 1930, page 31.

“New apartment block for Crescent locality,” Manitoba Free Press, 5 April 1930, page 29.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 21 July 1930, page 17.

“Tenders for work on new telephone block opened,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 Jan 1931, page 2.

“Tenders - Main Telephone Exchange Building,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 January 1931, page 13.

“Tenders,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 May 1932, page 15.

“Tenders for radio station close Tuesday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 August 1934, page 3.

“Tenders,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 June 1935, page 15.

“New dwellings on Wolseley Avenue and Arlington St.,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 July 1935, page 11.

“Tenders for new radio station to be called soon,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 July 1936, page 3.

Obituary [Barbara Melville] Winnipeg Free Press, 20 September 1946, page 11.

“A. Melville, pioneer architect, dies at 76 years,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 1949, page 18.

“Pioneer city architect dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 April 1949, page 2.

“Social worker dies at age 74,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 April 1953, page 19.

Obituary [Alexander B. Melville], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 April 1961, page 29.

Obituary [Williamina Gordon “Dolly” Melville], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 September 1975, page 39.

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

Glines House / Tremblay Apartments (55 Hargrave Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, July 1989.

Winnipeg Building Index

Charlesworth4 family tree, Ancestry.

We thank Patricia Tennent and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 24 February 2024

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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