1864 Portage Avenue

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A sturdy structure of Tyndall limestone and brick, 1864 Portage Avenue (known as the Chapman Building) was erected in 1929. Built by contractor W. A. Cameron to house the St. James branch of Dominion Business College, a school administered by Winnipeg accountant and businessman David Cooper. Subjects taught at this college included typewriting, business English, shorthand, letter-writing, book-keeping, accountancy, and telegraphy. Like the college's other buildings (at 274 Osborne Street North and 189 Henderson Highway) the Chapman Building represents a somewhat streamlined approach to a historically-derived architectural approach, with much extraneous detail removed. A single-storey block, the St. James college building nevertheless possesses a landmark quality, resting atop a tall basement and featuring a muscular treatment of form. 1864 Portage Avenue replaced an earlier St. James location for the Dominion Business College which was located at 1751 Portage Avenue. Contributing to the structure's construction were such local firms as the Irwin Sheet Metal and Roofing Company, College Electric, D. R. Dingwall Limited and McDonald-Dure Lumber Company. Beyond housing college functions, this address furthermore served as a locale for community events and meetings. The building was later purchased by lawyer George T. Chapman, whose name now graces its front entrance.