This two-storey brick building on Pacific Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 72 feet by 73 feet, was designed by local architect Frank Robert Evans and constructed in 1910 by Arthur John Bonnett for real estate agents James and Robert Johnstone at a cost of about $27,000. The first floor contained commercial space occupied by a succession of retail stores, art galleries, and more. The upper floor was used originally for offices and later as residential space.
In the early 1930s, the KMT (Chinese Nationalist League) rented and then purchased and moved into the Johnstone Block. The building housed the operations of many local associations and the Chinese opera in Winnipeg. It provided housing, and a library and community kitchen as well as being the offices for Winnipeg’s Chinese consulate.
The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
Johnstone Block / Kuo Min Tang Building (1986)
Source: Winnipeg Buildings Index
Johnstone Block / Kuo Min Tang Building (December 2014)
Source: George Penner
Johnstone Block / Kuo Min Tang Building (January 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90148, W97.13765
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Frank Robert Evans (1865-1949)
Memorable Manitobans: Arthur John Bonnett (1874-1942)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1807/1910, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Winnipeg fire insurance map #207, December 1917, Library and Archives Canada.
Johnstone Block (Kuo Min Tang Building), 209 Pacific Avenue, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, May 2019.
We thank George Penner, Alison Marshall, Darryl Resch, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 April 2023
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