Historic Sites of Manitoba: Leslie House (697 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Occupants | Photos & Maps | Sources

This two-storey residence in the Crescentwood area of Winnipeg was built in 1905 for John Leslie. Architectural drawings were commissioned from Montreal-based Howard Colton Stone, with construction work overseen by Stone’s local manager (and architect) Leonard T. Bristow, and completed by contractor Robert Watson with cost quoted between of $12,000 [1905] and $25,000 [1905 & 1906]. The original exterior was of pressed red brick with interior hardwood flooding shipped in from Berlin [now Kitchener], Ontario.

Prior to the early 1950s, the structure saw some use as a boarding house, reportedly within the later years Banning occupancy. From 1952-1956, William and Alice Winter (1908-1895) rented out six one-room bedrooms. The Winter family, after having four of their daughters married during the few years they lived there, then sold the property for $12,000 and moved to Saskatoon. In all, the 1950s saw at least 5 wedding receptions held at the home, one for a son of the Rumples along with four respectively for the Winter family daughters. Under the following Queen-Hughes family, the premises was restored to a single-family dwelling. In later years, the building was used as an artistic cooperative.

In early 2020, the building was advertised as being available for sale and demolition. It was demolished in the Fall of 2022.

Occupants/Owners

Period	Occupant/Owner
1905-1915	John Leslie (1852-1915)
1915-1916	Mrs. Phoebe Elizabeth Leslie (1860-1945)
1917-1944	Claude Percy Banning (1877-1944)
1944-1950	Mrs. Florence Hattie Banning (1878-1976)
1950-1952	Martin Rumpel (c1904-1976)
1952-1956	William Winter (1902-1992)
1956-1970	Richard Wilfred Queen-Hughes (1908-1970)

Photos & Coordinates

Leslie House (April 2018) Source: George Penner Leslie House (June 2019) Source: Maria Zbigniewicz Leslie House (March 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.87642, W97.16779 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: John Leslie (1852-1915)

Historical Tour: Crescentwood, Winnipeg’s Best Residential District by Rosemary Malaher
Manitoba History, Number 24, Autumn 1992

Historical Tours in Manitoba: A Walking Tour of Crescentwood (Winnipeg)

Sources:

“Many buildings for this season,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 September 1905, page 11.

“Record year in building [New residences],” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 December 1905, page 8.

“Citizens build many fine new homes,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, Special Building Number page 58.

1916 Canada census, Library and Archives Canada.

“St. Ignatius is scene of Rumpel-Norburn bridal,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 August 1951, page 11.

Obituary [Martin Rumpel], Winnipeg Free Press, 8 September 1976, page 51.

Crescentwood: A History by Randy R. Rostecki, The Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

John Leslie House “The Elms,” 697 Wellington Crescent by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, December 209.

We thank Alice Van Norman and Alisa Kehler for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Maria Zbigniewicz, Gordon Goldsborough, Nathan Kramer, George Penner, and Rose Kuzina.

Page revised: 11 March 2023

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