Manitoba Historical Society
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Memorable Manitobans: James W. Smith (1843-1917)

Building contractor.

Born at Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire, England on 18 October 1843, he left England in 1869 and worked in the plastering and contracting business at Chicago, Illinois until 1873 when he moved to Upper Fort Garry. He later partnered with his half-brother Charles Wallace Sharp, under the name of Smith and Sharp, in a contracting business. It was responsible for the construction of many early buildings in Winnipeg. In 1907, he retired from business and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, later going to Wiltshire, England where he died on 20 January 1917. Predeceased by his wife Elizabeth, he was survived by a daughter (wife of Hugh McIntyre).

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

Stony Mountain Penitentiary (interior work)

 

 

 

Winnipeg City Hall #1

 

 

 

Winnipeg City Hall #2

 

 

 

Merchants Bank Building

 

 

 

Dominion Bank Building

 

 

 

Bank of British North America Building

 

 

 

Union Bank Building

 

 

 

Old Court House

 

 

 

Masonic Temple

 

 

 

Winnipeg Police Station

 

 

 

Old Queen's Hotel

 

 

 

Leland Hotel

 

 

 

Fortune Building

 

 

 

Old Confederal Life Building

 

 

 

Imperial Bank Building

 

 

 

Grand Pacific Hotel

Main Street, Winnipeg

?

 

First St. Mary’s Church

 

?

 

Carnegie Library

380 William Avenue, Winnipeg

1905

 

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Charles Wallace Sharp (1852-1924)

Sources:

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

“Old timer dead,” Manitoba Free Press, 21 February 1917, page 5.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 19 March 2022

Memorable Manitobans

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.

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