Dalnavert Museum and Visitors' Centre: home to many

Dalnavert was built in 1895 on Treaty 1 land and was home to the Macdonald family. They resided here until 1929 when Hugh John Macdonald passed away. At the time his wife Agnes was the only person remaining in the house. Due to Hugh not leaving a large estate, she likely could not afford to maintain Dalnavert. As a result, Agnes sold the house and moved into the Roslyn Apartments on Osborne Street.

After Agnes left, the house was left abandoned until it was transformed into a boarding and rooming house in the 1950’s. During this period, many rooms were converted to house more people. In 1969 the house was sold to a development company that intended to demolish the house and construct an apartment building on the grounds.

But in the 1970s, the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS), together with several historical activists, worked with the development company and made numerous offers to buy the house, ultimately succeeding.

Working with the City of Winnipeg and other organizations, MHS obtained grants to restore the home. Architects John Chivers and George Walker led the restoration, which cost roughly $559,000 and took several years to complete. The museum was finally opened in 1974 and became a National Historic Site in 1990.

In 2013, The MHS closed the doors of the museum spurring a group of dedicated and passionate individuals to create Friends of Dalnavert Museum Inc. This newly formed not-for-profit organization assumed ownership and was able to re-open Dalnavert Museum in the spring of 2015.

Today, Dalnavert Museum and Visitors' Centre is a cultural hub and event centre, and along with interpreting the history of the house and early Winnipeg, hosts various educational and entertainment programs.

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The Architect

While little is known about his early life, Charles H. Wheeler left a lasting impression on Winnipeg.

He was born in April 1838 at Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England, and was married 20 years later to Annie Wakefield of Fairford, Gloucester.

He studied architecture and music in Birmingham, England and was an architect in England for about 20 years. By 1882, he had immigrated to Winnipeg.

Wheeler soon worked for the architect James Chisholm’s firm. Within a year of living in Winnipeg, his design was chosen out of 44 submissions for the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on the corner of Graham Avenue and Donald Street. After that project, he established his architecture firm.

In 1893, Macdonald approached Wheeler to build Dalnavert.