© 2023, Christian Cassidy
What does the new Ross Ellen Housing complex on Ross Avenue have in common with the old Winnipeg Hotel on Main Street? Fort-seven affordable housing units.
The Pollard family bought the Fortune Block, Macdonald Block and Winnipeg Hotel back in 2016 to save them from demolition. Of the three blocks, the toughest one to renovate was going to be the Winnipeg Hotel as its 47 rooms were occupied.
The fact that 47 people would lose their homes was a great concern to the family and they knew that renovating the Winnipeg Hotel was not going to be a quick fix.
They soon started the process of what became funding the construction of this brand new 47-unit affordable housing unit on Ross Avenue. The initial thought was that it could be built before the hotel closed and the residents would have the option to apply for residence.
Constructing a new housing complex took longer than expected and the poor condition of the hotel meant that it had to close in 2019.
Though the deadlines didn't match up, it is great to see that the loss of the Winnipeg Hotel did not mean a loss of affordable housing units.
If you're curious as to what used to sit on the land of the new housing complex, it was home to the Gardener's Co-op / Jansen Produce building. It was part of "Fruit Row", one of several fruit and veg wholesalers along Ross Avenue served by a railway spur line.
The Co-op branded its vegetables "Peak of the Market", a trade name that still exists today.
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