Blog by Cheryl Mann, on behalf of Heritage Winnipeg
On the corner of
Langside Street and Sara Avenue an unassuming three story brick building has
sat for over one hundred years. A long time grocery store, the building is
located in the heart of the West Broadway, one of the city’s oldest
neighbourhoods. The building has quietly watched the neighbourhood rise, fall
and rise again, serving the community as both a grocery store and apartment. It
changed owners many times over the years, but remained a cornerstone in the
neighbourhood, looking much the same as it did when first built. In the fall of
2017, the once grocery store was reborn as a restaurant, breathing new life
into an old space, where locals can once again gather, nourishing their bodies
and souls.
Born in Ireland
in 1814, James Mulligan came to Canada with the British military in 1848. Mulligan
was promised some land upon completion of his military service, which seems to
have ended with an early retirement after he lost an arm. A river lot on the
north shores of the Assiniboine River in the Red River Settlement (Winnipeg)
was given to Mulligan, bounded by Maryland Street, Furby Street and Portage
Avenue. Mulligan then set about purchasing more property in the area, including
some on the south side of the Assiniboine River. By 1878 Mulligan had become one
of the largest property holders in the fledgling City of Winnipeg.
 |
| Map of Winnipeg in 1880. Source: Heritage Winnipeg |
As the 1880s
began, Winnipeg began to grow at a feverish rate, with rampant land speculation
in anticipation of the arrival of the railway in 1882. As land values
skyrocketed, Mulligan was eager to partake in the potential for wealth. With
his land mostly unoccupied, in 1881 Mulligan began subdividing his property,
selling residential lots. By 1882, the railway had arrived and Mulligan had
sold most of his property, and so began the West Broadway neighbourhood in
Winnipeg.
In 1903, James
Spence, who held land just east of Mulligan, followed suit and subdivided his
property into 63 residential lots, further expanding the neighbourhood. Middle
and upper class family built large, well crafted, single family homes, with
most of the neighbourhood filled by 1915. Low rise apartment buildings,
schools, churches and a hospital were also built, while commercial development
mostly restricted to Portage Avenue, Broadway and Sherbrook Street.
 |
| The West Broadway neighbourhood in Winnipeg, highlighted in red. Source Google Maps |
It was during
this initial period of growth that a three story mixed use building was erected
at the corner of Langside Street and Sara Avenue. Although the entrance is
placed on the pleasingly angled front corner of the building, the official
address is 164 Langside Street. Set amongst a residential area, the building
fits in well with the similarly clade three story apartment buildings on the
other side of Langside Street. There are few records of the building from this
early period, with the 1913 reference to the Hill Brother’s Grocery at the
corner being the first concrete proof of its existence. As it was a rather small
and subdued building constructed during a period of opulence and grandeur, it
would have been unlikely to garner much attention in the historical record.
 |
| The Hill Brother's Grocery, owned by James and William Hill, was the first proprietor listed at 164 Langside Street. Source: Winnipeg Downtown Places |
The two main
facades of the building, facing Langside Street and Sara Avenue, are a plain
red brick with a small, brick dentil cornice detail running along the roofline.
The entrance to the building is located on the angled front corner of the
building, set back from main façade, creating somewhat of a portico effect.
Display windows flank the entrance on the ground floor, featuring multi paned
windows and a cornice detail that wraps around the front corner of the
building. The second and third floor facades on Langside Street have matching
sets of paired one over one windows, accented by a light stone sill. Single one
over one windows in the same style continue the pattern on the angled section
of façade above the front entrance. On the Sara Avenue façade the same style of
window is used in a variety of sizes, spread inconsistently over the two upper
floors. A small door on the far north end suggests a separate entrance to the
upstairs apartment. The north and west facades of the building are a plain,
unadorned buff brick with a smattering of windows on the second and third
floors. The north west corner of the building is cut away, making room for a
fire escape.
 |
| 164 Langside as seen in 2016. Source: CBC News Manitoba |
After nearly a
decade at the corner of Langside Street and Sara Avenue, William Hill sold the
grocery store in 1922. It remained a grocery store though, first as part of the
Red and White chain and later as part of the Shop Easy chain. In 1942, under
owners Jack and Alma Schiller, the store was christened the “Langside Grocery,”
a name that held fast for several decades. Owners continued to come and go, sometimes
living upstairs, sometimes changing the name.
 |
| Outside the first incarnation of the Langside Grocery on February 15, 1978. Source: The Winnipeg Tribune and Winnipeg Downtown Places |
With the end of
World War II, a shift began to take place in West Broadway. The allure of newly
built suburban neighbourhoods and the rise of a car-centric culture saw the
leafy streets West Broadway being abandoned, with elegant homes being
subdivided and low income tenants moving in. Crime and poverty were on the rise
and prolonged disinvestment saw the neighbourhood fall into disrepair. The
grocery store felt the effects of the decline, as the violence spilled over
into its space, with holds ups becoming far to common of an occurrence. A
particularly horrific altercation in April of 1996 was the final tipping point,
with the grocery store being closed for good soon afterwards.
By the mid 1990s,
community groups, dismayed by the sad state of the neighbourhood, began to take
action. Reinvestment in housing slowly began to yield results, with housing
values on the rise by 2001 and a growing fear of gentrification instead of
decay. The grocery store soon became a part of the revitalization of the area, sold
to architect Don Courtinage and artist Pat Courtinage in 1999. They converted
the building into a main floor studio and a second floor office space.
 |
| 164 Langside is designated as a West Broadway Heritage Site. Source: Langside Grocery Instagram |
In 2013 the
building was sold again, this time to siblings Jason, Ryan and Shelley
Armstrong. The three purchased the building with the intention of converting it
into a pizza restaurant that would serve the local community. But those plans were
put on hold in when it was instead rented out to in the Canadian comedy series
Sunnyside. The grocery store was converted into a fictional café known as Dark
Roast, used regularly as a set until 2015. After the departure of Sunnyside,
the siblings once again began work on their pizza restaurant.
 |
| 164 Langside was the set for the fictional cafe "Dark Roast" in the Canadian comedy Sunnyside. Source: Canstar Community News |
Initially the
restaurant was to be named Corticelli, serving appetizers, personal pizzas and
drinks. As plans were developed for the space, it was recognized that large
pizza ovens would overrun the small footprint of the ground floor, leaving
little space for diners. Instead the owners opted to serve locally sourced, French
inspired small plates, accompanied by a wine and cocktail bar.
 |
| The exterior of the new Langside Grocery restaurant. Source: Peg City Grub |
 |
| Original tin ceiling tiles were savaged and reinstalled during the renovation of 164 Langside. Source: Langside Grocery Instagram |
The grocery store
officially opened as a restaurant in the fall of 2017. Although the official name is Corticelli, the local community tends to still call it by its former name, the Langside Grocery. A dark
wood bar dominates the room as the salvaged tin ceiling draws your eye upwards.
Doing their best to not change the original space, the new restaurant
accommodates about 30 people and features a patio in the back yard with room
for 28. It is intended to serve the local residents, a cozy space to gather and
commune, harkening back to an era before cell phone overtook peoples’ lives. Often
packed with people, the growing success of the Langside Grocery is a tribute to
the owners who let the character of the heritage building speak for itself and
for focusing on the people who matter the most, the local community.
 |
| The newly renovated interior of the Langside Grocery at 164 Langside in 2017. Source: Langside Grocery Instagram |
SOURCES
Canstar Community
News
www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/Former-storefront-a-bustling-restaurant-454147073.html?k=XUpa3c
www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/Comedy-set-turned-pizza-eatery-388698522.html
www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/correspondent/Imagining-sinfully-good-coffee.html
CBC News Manitoba
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/sunnyside-restaurant-real-1.3694318
Manitoba
Historical Society
www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/mulligan_j.shtml
Neighbourhoods of
Winnipeg
now.winnipeg.ca/history/west-broadway
Peg City Grub
www.pegcitygrub.com/read,post/661/langside-grocery-charming-old-new-neighbourhood-haunt-has-destination-cocktail-bar-aspirations
The Uniter
uniter.ca/view/favourite-local-place-to-eat-new-independent-business/
West End
Dumplings
westenddumplings.blogspot.ca/2011/05/west-broadway-neighbourhood-history.html
Winnipeg Downtown
Places
winnipegdowntownplaces.blogspot.ca/2016/07/164-langside-street-hill-brothers.html
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