Memorable Manitobans: David William Fair Nichols (1881-1951)

Draftsman, architect.

Born in England in 1881, he apprenticed as a draftsman with Burke & Horwood of Toronto from 1897 to 1902, then worked briefly as a draftsman for two Winnipeg architects, John Hamilton Gordon Russell and John Danley Atchison. He stayed in Winnipeg until 1915, designing several houses and churches, and some joint projects with Norman M. Moffat and James Pender West. By 1917, he had moved to Windsor, Ontario.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Falls House	36 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg	1907	Demolished (September 2023)
Gladstone Municipal Building	Gladstone	1907	Demolished (?)
Bettes Block	289-295 Carlton Street / 353-355 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1907-1908	Demolished (?)
Stevens Building	396 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1908
Bettes Block (expansion)	289-295 Carlton Street / 353-355 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1909	Demolished (?)
McKenty House	106 Middle Gate, Winnipeg	1909
Hackney House	138 East Gate, Winnipeg	1911
St. Margaret’s Anglican Church	160 Ethelbert Street, Winnipeg	1912
Northland Knitting Building	618 Arlington Street, Winnipeg	1912
Edgar Court	401 Burrows Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
St. Alban’s Anglican Church (expansion)	468 Rathgar Avenue, Winnipeg	1915	Demolished (1950)
Cornish Public Baths	Winnipeg	?

Sources:

“Municipal building for Gladstone,” Manitoba Free Press, 20 April 1907, page 13.

J. C. Falls House (36 Roslyn Road), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, January 1994.

Winnipeg Buildings Index.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950.

We thank Gail Singleton and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 July 2024

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: 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.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!