Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

West Clements Block (Bijou Theatre)

1884-1979

— Historic Winnipeg —

West Clements Block (Bijou Theatre) Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022

1. West Clements Block (Bijou Theatre) Marker

Inscription. In 1884, John H. Clements commissioned architects Charles A. and Earle W. Barber to design a curving three storey red brick building along this bend in Main Street. Architects Alexander D. and William N. Melville added a Vaudeville theatre, the Bijou, to the rear of the building in 1904 for Johnny Nash (John A. Schuberg) and Frederick Burrows. The theatre closed in 1956, and the complex burned in 1979.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.

Location. 49° 53.918′ N, 97° 8.37′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in the Exchange District. Marker is on Main Street (Manitoba Route 52) just south of William Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Marker is mounted at eye-level on the right side of the Market Square entrance gate. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 492 Main Street, Winnipeg MB R3B 1B7, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Court House (here, next to this marker); Union Bank Building / L’édifice de la Union Bank (here, next to this marker); Union Bank Building (within shouting distance of this marker); First Headquarters • International Brotherhood of Magicians (within shouting distance of this marker); The Confederation Building / L'édifice de la Confédération

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(within shouting distance of this marker); The Exchange District / L'Arrondissement de la Bourse (within shouting distance of this marker); Imperial Bank of Canada (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Bloody Saturday (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winnipeg.

Also see . . . Bijou Theatre: Burning Down the House.

Named for its owner and prominent Winnipeg developer John Rickard Clements, the three-storey structure was used for both office and retail space for the bulk of the 1880s and 1890s. Much like the other commercial towers built around the same time, the building had an elaborate classical detailed façade. Decorated arched brickwork capped off the long, narrow rows of windows separated by thick rows of brickwork. The decoration along the roofline was the most elaborate, borrowing and merging different styles to create a distinctly Victorian roofline.
A new renovation in 1906 brought an exciting addition to the Clements Block: the Bijou Theatre. This was one of several new vaudeville theatres opening in Winnipeg around the same time. Vaudeville at the time, was one of North America’s most
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022

2. West Clements Block (Bijou Theatre) Marker
(marker is mounted on right side of Marker Square gate)
popular forms of theatre and was, in essence, a touring variety act. The opening acts at the Bijou Theatre included a tightrope artist, acrobats, a child singer, and a comedic skit before closing with something even more novel: moving pictures. In 1906, “moving pictures” or movies were still a newer technology, with all the excitement and limitations that it brought with it. Movies were generally shorter, between 5-10 minutes in length, completely silent, and of course in black and white.

(Submitted on January 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.