413 - 415 Graham Avenue, 250 - 258 Kennedy Street

415 Graham Avenue was constructed in 1900-01 as a downtown residential home. It is one of very few homes that remain from a time when downtown was a residential area. The first resident of the house was Wilford Philips, who stayed there for only a few months.

The house had a series of many occupants until the owner sold it to William R. Lane. With the opening of the Hudson’s Bay Company Department store at 450 Portage Avenue, Lane purchased the lot with the intention of redeveloping it to be a retail shop. By 1935 Lane had purchased the neighbouring lot, 250 Kennedy Street, and he hired Edgar Prain to design the two retail units facing Kennedy. During this time Lane lived in the 415 Graham Avenue house, suggesting that the new retail units were connected to the house. By 1938 Prain was hired once more to construct another unit facing Graham Avenue, which cost $2,300, and was known as 415 Graham Avenue. Previous buildings on the lot were constructed by day labourers while Lane oversaw their work, but in 1938 when Lane fell ill he hired A. E. Hawkings. Lane passed away during construction; however, construction was completed and the retail units and house were sold as one property. In 1950-51 developer David P. Gotlieb hired popular Winnipeg architectural firm Green Blankstein Russell to design two more retail units, bringing the building up to its current size.

The current building has undergone many interior renovations as well as exterior. Despite many businesses and different renovations to the property, the 415 Graham house can still be seen peeking from behind the retail unit. The building’s current exterior is clad in white panelling for a modern look, and the 1901 house maintains its look with a fading yellow paint job.