This 2½-storey dark red-brown brick and Tyndall Stone trimmed house on Burrows Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 34 feet by 40 feet, was designed by local architect John Hamilton Gordon Russell and built in 1913 by day labour at a cost of about $5,000, for owner Matthew Robert Blake. He was a physician and a Member of Parliament. A one-storey wood frame stable, measuring 16 feet by 16 feet, was built at cost of about $100, but has since been demolished.
Subcontractors included John Fraser (plumbing).
Following his death in November 1937, the house and belonging were auctioned off in the spring of 1938. In May of that year, the house was purchased by Louis Stern who commissioned alterations converting it into a triplex at a cost of about $500. At the time of a 2025 site visit, the house was relatively unmodified from its original appearance and was still in use as a triplex.
Blake House (October 2025)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Blake House (October 2025)
Source: Kenneth IngramSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91562, W97.13332
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Hamilton Gordon Russell (1863-1946)
Memorable Manitobans: Matthew Robert Blake (1875-1937)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1862/1913, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Building permits,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 June 1913, page 2.
“Building permits,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 June 1913, page 2.
“Two more large houses for Crecent,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 June 1913, page 14.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3718/1913, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Estate sacrifice,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 January 1938, page 18.
“Estate sacrifice,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 January 1938, page 29.
“Estate sacrifice,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 1938, page 20.
“Boom in homes, June will be busy month for construction in city,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 May 1938, page 17.
“Building permits,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 May 1938, page 33.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #285 May 1958, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Property Details [275 Burrows Avenue], Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Kenneth Ingram.
Page revised: 31 January 2026
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