Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dominion Post Office Building / Portage City Hall (97 Saskatchewan Avenue West, Portage la Prairie)

Link to:
Postmasters | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The former Dominion Post Office in Portage la Prairie was designed by Thomas L. Fuller, one of Canada’s foremost architects and the designer of Canada’s first Parliament Buildings. The building is an example of Fuller’s interpretation of the Romanesque Revival style. The 2½-storey hammer-faced limestone building features a steep mansard roof and central gable. Originally, the ground floor housed the Post Office while the upper floor held the Customs and Revenue Office. Political controversy in Ottawa delayed construction, but the building was finally opened in 1898. In 1920, an addition was made on the south side. The building became the Portage la Prairie City Hall in 1960, when a new post office opened on the next block along Saskatchewan Avenue, and the old building has also provided space over the years for the Magistrate’s Court, Youth Court, RCMP detachment (with its jail cells), library, and arts centre.

A plaque was erected beside the building in 1983 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Advisory Board of Canada. It commemorated the building as a representative of small, urban post offices designed by Thomas Fuller, and the fact that it was largely intact and had not undergone major exterior renovation. It is a municipally designated heritage building (1990).

Postmasters

Period	Postmasters
1871-1872	Charles House
1872-1877	Charles Mair (1838-1927)
1877-1879	George Bates
1879-1880	Charles Hay (1843-1924)
1880-1912	William White Miller (1846-1912)
1912-1913	William Ralph Taylor (1863-1913)
1913-1936	Edgar L. Burns (1868-1943)
1936-1951	Albert John Mills
1951-1956	Thomas Chisholm Forbes
1956-1963	James William Cook
1963-1965	F. C. Meadwell
1965	J. A. Brydon
1965-1966	F. C. Meadwell
1966-1981	James Joseph Mulligan

Photos & Coordinates

Portage la Prairie Post Office (circa 1908) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2012-0167 The former Portage la Prairie Post Office (June 2017) Source: George Penner The former Portage la Prairie Post Office (June 2017) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97293, W98.29011 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

Portage la Prairie Dominion Post Office Building, 97 Saskatchewan Avenue E, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.

Post Offices and Postmasters, Library and Archives Canada.

This page was prepared by Tim Worth, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 29 January 2022

Historic Sites of Manitoba This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner. Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes. Send corrections and additions to this page to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca. Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ Help us keep history alive!