June 10, 2025

Brighter Days Ahead for Bleak House

Phase 1 of the Bleak House capital renewal project has begun! The City of Winnipeg’ Municipal Accommodations Division secured funding through the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund and supplemental funds from the Municipal Accommodations Division to commence the project. The roof and eavestrough of the building have already been replaced, which will help stop the penetration of moisture that is destroying the wood siding on the two southeast facades of the main structure. Now the lost and decaying siding will be addressed, resolving the moisture issue. This will involve removing the siding and sheeting, abating the vermiculite insulation and making any necessary repairs to the framing. Finally, the building will receive new insulation and sheeting, along with new siding milled to match the existing siding as best as possible, as per the approval of the City of Winnipeg’s Heritage Officer.

For several years, Heritage Winnipeg has been aware of the lack of maintenance and the resulting deterioration of Bleak House at 1637 Main Street. We have been advocating, along with the support of the Seven Oaks Historical Society, to the City of Winnipeg, the building’s owners, to repair the structure so it does not become an unnecessary victim of demolition by neglect. Heritage Winnipeg is pleased to see this important part of our community’s heritage being cared for and will continue monitoring until the project is completed.

The wood siding of Bleak House at 1637 Main Street has been deteriorating due to moisture. Seen here on February 21st, 2025 (left image) and March 22nd, 2025 (right image), there was a visibly more deterioration in just the space of one month.
Source: Jim Smith (Heritage Winnipeg Board Member)

Bleak House is a Georgian style, two and a half storey log building with siding veneer built by Colin Inkster between 1873 and 1875. Named “Bleak House” after the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, it was erected on the estate of Colin’s father, John Inkster. The Inksters were an influential family in the early years of Winnipeg’s development and their descendants continued to own Bleak House until 1973. The building was then conserved and adaptively reused as a recreation centre for seniors. In 1980 Bleak House was added to the City of Winnipeg’s List of Historical Resources, protecting it from demolition or alteration of its character defining elements.

Featured image: Bleak House at 1637 Main Street on August 16, 2024. Source: Jim Smith (Heritage Winnipeg Board Member)