Fire that claimed Winnipeg's historic Kirkwood Block will leave hole in heart of the city

WINNIPEG -

A piece of Winnipeg’s past has been destroyed in a massive inferno Wednesday that continues to jam up the city’s downtown.

The Kirkwood Block, built back in 1912, went up in flames, displacing some small businesses and community organizations that had been operating out of the building.

A day after it was consumed by fire, the 110-year-old structure at Portage Avenue and Langside Street still stood encapsulated in ice.

The building’s facade which has been frozen in time, will soon fade solely into the history books—a big loss to the neighbourhood and the city, according to West End resident April Keenan.

“It’s sad to see it go,” Keenan said during a visit to the burnt-out building Thursday. “There’s very few old buildings left on Portage Avenue.”

Fire crews were called to the two-storey building just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and found the structure engulfed in flames. They’ve been on scene ever since fighting the inferno in bitter cold temperatures.

A nearby student residence at University of Winnipeg had to be temporarily evacuated and workers at a nearby restaurant watched helplessly as the fire tore through the building.

“As we were doing deliveries you could literally feel the heat coming from the roof of the building even though we were a good 20, 30 feet away from the building,” said David Janssen, who manages Elements restaurant just west of the Kirkwood Block.

Due to dangerous conditions fire fighters hosed down hot spots using aerial ladders and turned their attention to a billboard which they worried would damage neighbouring buildings if it falls uncontrolled.

About 130 fire fighters using 50 pieces of equipment have worked on putting out the fire non-stop since Wednesday morning.

That has resulted in the closure of westbound Portage Avenue between Memorial Boulevard and Sherbrook Street, and eastbound Portage between Spence Street and Sherbrook Street.

Crews remained on scene Thursday night and the city said traffic downtown may be seized up for days, as the building is now slated for demolition.

No exact timeframe has been provided on how long the disruptions will last beyond several days. Crews were planning to remove the billboard before demolition begins.

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the building is a total loss and will be torn down.

“That’s the last thing we want to see on any street, is another empty lot,” said Jino Distasio, a University of Winnipeg geography professor and urban revitalization researcher. “It’s on your main drag and really a little piece of the heart of Winnipeg’s Downtown is lost.”

Several storefronts occupied the building, including a donut shop, convenience store and hair salon along with a church and the offices of the West End Biz.

Distasio worries about the impact the fire and the soon-to-be vacant lot will have on those businesses, their employees and the neighbourhood.

“This is as much part of the West End as is any other building, so for the West End, for Winnipeg and for the city as a whole it’s a loss and it’s a really tragic situation here,” Distasio said. “I’m a little concerned as we come out of this pandemic in terms of the economic uncertainty that’s around us—we just don’t want to see empty lots, we’ve got enough vacant signs. To add to this, it’s a hard one.”

The block’s architectural character will also be missed. Historian Gordon Goldsborough said the architect John Athcison’s buildings were known for their characteristic flair and this one was no different.

“A lot of people drive by it every single day and have admired because it is quite an attractive building,” said Goldsborough, who’s president of the Manitoba Historical Society.

The building is on the City of Winnipeg’s commemorative list and has a historical summary but it didn’t have municipally-designated historical status and therefore had no special protections required by city bylaws to ensure its preservation.

According to the historical summary prepared for the City of Winnipeg, it was originally owned by an investment company, before becoming a pharmacy owned by R.J. Kirkwood who the building is now named after and later became a popular night spot from the mid 1960s into the 1980s.

“I’ll have to speak from what I’ve heard because I have no firsthand knowledge of it, I’m just too young to remember Harry Smith’s fabulous Club Morocco,” Goldsborough said exuberantly.

For Keenan, it’s the mural on the side of the building depicting a former rolling skating rink Keenan skated at as a kid that holds special meaning.

“It’s part of our heritage that we can’t get back,” Keenan said.

The West End Biz, which was displaced by the fire, said the organization will be reaching out to the other businesses that were impacted.

The city said Thursday some businesses east of the Kirkwood Block remained evacuated and no one will be able to return until it’s safe. The extent of smoke and water damage in those buildings is still being assessed.