Buildings, businesses for sale / sold - Summer 2012

It's been a few months since I did a for sale / sold post. I will try to get back to doing them regularly.

Ever wonder what the black building on the left, on Main Street next to the McLaren Hotel, looks like on the inside ? Well, here you go.

Source: Manitoba Historical Society

On the historic buildings front, the circa 1914 Scott Fruit Building on Elgin Avenue is up for sale.

I found a few restaurants for sale. How about Shawarma Time on Ellice, 4 Sisters Restaurant on Logan or Chinatown's Golden Terrace. Ellice Cafe and Theatre announced that it is closing and will be sold, (their final day is Friday, August 24.)

On the empty lot front, it's nice to see that one of those surface parking lots on the east side of Main Street near Earl's was bought from the city earlier this year. The new owner is planning a commercial building (no drawings yet) that includes underground parking and is right now dealing with the city about Main Street access to the lot.

Greyhound will soon be tearing down the former Grey Goose garage on Burnell Street. The 2 acre parcel of land is already up for sale.

My feature building of the month is Julianna's Pizza on Ellice Avenue. It's a Greek / Jamaican restaurant (how West End is that !) and up for sale. I've often wondered about the building's curvy roofline and it turns out that it is due to its past as a coin laundry !

March 1963 ad, Winnipeg Free Press

In 1961 a group of prairie dry cleaning companies, including Perth's in Manitoba, Trudeau's in Edmonton and Nelson's in Vancouver, formed a partnership called Carlton's Cleaning Carousel.

Their goal was to create a chain of about 100 "upscale" coin-operated laundromats across the West. The partner company provided on-site "laundry counsellors" that would offer advice and even do your washing for you for free. Each store would also have a dry cleaning counter.

Top: March 28, 1962, Winnipeg Free Press
Bottom: Google Streetview

Winnipeg architects Waisman, Ross and Associates were hired to create the unique design. They were bright, airy and with a large reading lounge for customers. It appears, though, that not all locations used the wavy roofline, (an example in Saskatoon.)

In the fall of 1961 the first 17 outlets opened. Manitoba's first Carlton's were in Winnipeg at Polo Park Shopping Centre and Main Street at McAdam. The following year they added 678 Ellice and Victor (now Juliana's) as well as locations in Brandon and Portage la Prairie. A fourth Winnipeg location was added at Grant Park Shopping Centre in 1969.

In 1971 Carlton's disappears, at lest from the Winnipeg scene. The Main Street location became a Perth's but the Ellice and Victor location became the Carousel Restaurant. Vassilios Papanikolas opened Juliana's in 1976.