History in rubble: Revisiting Manitoba heritage buildings that went up in flames
From a century-old hotel to an apartment that inspired a Guess Who album, some of Manitoba’s most storied heritage buildings have fallen prey to fire and destruction.
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Sutherland Hotel According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the Sutherland Hotel was originally built at the corner of Main and Sutherland streets in 1882. Known then as the Cosmopolitan Hotel, it was one of the first major buildings north of the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. It is pictured here, when it was known as the Palace Hotel, in the background of a military parade around 1906. (Martin Berman Postcard Collection/Winnipeg Public Library)
Sutherland Hotel The Sutherland Hotel is shown in June 2017. (Gordon Goldsborough/Manitoba Historical Society)
Sutherland Hotel Crews battle a fire that burned the Sutherland Hotel to the ground on Jan. 15, 2026. It was vacant at the time and on the market for $545,000. (CTV News Winnipeg)
Manwin Hotel A postcard from the early 1900s shows streetcars, horses and pedestrians passing in front of the Maple Leaf Hotel, the building that later housed the Manwin Hotel. It was originally built in 1882 and known as Walker House. (Martin Berman Postcard Collection/Winnipeg Public Library)
Manwin Hotel The Manwin Hotel is pictured in April 2024. The hotel was temporarily closed multiple times in recent years for health and safety hazards and was the site of several homicides before tenants were ordered out for good in 2025. (Dan Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)
Remnants of the Manwin Hotel Remnants of the Manwin Hotel in Winnipeg, Man., on Jan. 15, 2025. (Jeff Keele/CTV News Winnipeg)
Windsor Hotel According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the building that housed the Windsor Hotel was built in 1903 and was initially known as the La Claire Hall Apartments. It was revamped in the late ‘20s to the Windsor Hotel. (Heritage Winnipeg)
Windsor Hotel The Windsor Hotel on Garry Street is shown in September 2015. It became a hub for blues music, playing host through the decades to a slew of musicians and even Charlie Chaplin. (Gordon Goldsborough/Manitoba Historical Society)
Windsor hotel The Windsor Hotel is reduced to rubble after a fire swept through the historic building in September 2023. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)
Bannatyne Apartments The three-storey brick and stone apartment block at 545 Bannatyne Avenue is shown in August 2018. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, it was built in 1910 for owner Charles Simpson Shipman. (George Penner/Manitoba Historical Society)
Bannatyne Apartments The Bannatyne Apartments are shown on the 1971 Guess Who album “So Long, Bannatyne.” Band member Kurt Winter lived in the building before joining the band. (RCA)
Bannatyne fire Crews battle a fire at the Bannatyne Apartments in May 2015. The $2.4 million building was under renovation when flames broke out. Investigators said at the time it was deliberately set and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. (CTV News Winnipeg)
Towers Hotel The Towers Hotel in Dauphin, Man. is pictured in May 2014. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, it was originally built in 1886 by homesteader William Whitmore. It was converted to a hotel in 1911, dubbed Hamilton Hotel, and renamed as the Towers Hotel in 1960. (Gordon Goldsborough/Manitoba Historical Society)
Towers Hotel fire in Dauphin Fire crews battle flames at the Towers Hotel in Dauphin, Man. on Sept. 18, 2014. (Manitoba RCMP)
Firth House Firth House in the RM of St. Andrews is shown in the late 1950s. The private home was built in 1861 by a retired Hudson’s Bay Company labourer. (John Warkentin Fonds/York University)
Firth House Firth House is shown in July 2015. It was designated a provincial heritage site in 1987, as it was one of few remaining stone houses from the Red River Settlement era. (Gordon Goldsborough/Manitoba Historical Society)
Firth House Firefighters douse the remnants of Firth House in January 2025. The historic site was declared a total loss afterwards. It was privately owned at the time of the blaze. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)
Lido Theatre The Lido Theatre in The Pas, Man. is pictured in 1932. It was initially built in 1929, becoming the first theatre in western Canada designed specifically for movies with sound, the Manitoba Historical Society said. (Flin Flon Heritage Project)
Lido Theatre The Lido Theatre in July 2021. (George Penner/Manitoba Historical Society)
Lido theatre fire The Lido Theatre burns in April 2024. The building was vacant at the time, having shut its doors in 2019. The property was then purchased by the town with plans to turn it into an arts and culture building. It was declared a total loss after the fire. (Manitoba RCMP)
Rennie Hotel The Rennie Hotel is shown in the early ‘60s. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, it was initially built in 1939 beside what was then the Trans-Canada Highway. (Colleen Kuz Gresko)
Rennie Hotel The Rennie Hotel in September 2018. Three generations of the Kuz family operated the hotel after 1952 in the Manitoba municipality. (George Penner/Manitoba Historical Society)
Rennie Hotel The Rennie Hotel is demolished after a fire in December 2022, a suspected arson that totalled the 83-year-old building. (CTV News Winnipeg)
