Located at the northwest corner of Burrows Avenue and Charles Street in Winnipeg, a 1½-storey brick and Tyndall stone church, measuring 45 feet by 84 feet, was designed by local architect Frank Robert Evans. It was built between 1906 and early 1907 by contractors Herbert J. Dennis and John Bishop, at a cost of about $10,000 for the congregation of Tabernacle Baptist Church.
The structure had a seating capacity for about 650 people. It was opened officially at a ceremony on 20 January 1907 attended by Reverend J. B. Warnicker, Reverend Peter G. Mode, Reverend Hiram Hull, Ravened F. A. Currier, and Reverend William Alexander MacLean.
By 1922, the congregation was in need of a larger building for its congregation so the building was sold to the Orthodox Jewish congregation of the House of Ashkenaze for use as a synagogue. The following year, the Baptists built a new church on Bannerman Avenue.
The original building was destroyed by fire on 5 April 1945 and, in 1948, it was replaced by a two-storey dark red-brown brick and Tyndall stone trimmed building measuring 60 feet by 80 feet. The House of Ashkenaze is now the oldest existing synagogue in Winnipeg with daily Orthodox Jewish services.
Tabernacle Baptist Church under construction (December 1906)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 52.
House of Ashkenaze Synagogue (1925)
Source: Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, JM 0308.
House of Ashkenaze Synagogue (May 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
House of Ashkenaze Synagogue (May 2017)
Source: George Penner
House of Ashkenaze Synagogue (July 2025)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91583, W97.13440
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Frank Robert Evans (1865-1949)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Tabernacle Baptist Church (155 Bannerman Avenue, Winnipeg)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2240/1906, City of Winnipeg Archives.
The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 15, 6 June 1906, page 6.
“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 June 1906, page 2.
“Baptist Tabernacle,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 52.
“Tabernacle Baptist Church,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 52.
“New Tabernacle opens Sunday,” Manitoba Free Press, 18 January 1907, page 19.
“House of Ashkenaze Synagogue gutted by fire Thursday morning,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 April 1945, page 3.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #285 May 1956, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Ashkenazie Synagogue, 297 Burrows Avenue by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, February 2009.
“Firmly rooted” by Cheryl Girard, Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 2014, page D15.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 October 2025
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