City Hall and Historic Buildings
Spread throughout the city of Melville, are a range of historic buildings including City Hall, the Post Office, local businesses, churches, and homes.
Check out the map to see where all of the historic buildings are located in the City.
For more information about each building, keep reading below. All information and photos come from "The Ties That Bind '83".
City Hall - 420-430 Main St.
- Constructed in 1910-13
- The grand opening took place on November 5, 1913.
- Charles Melville Hayes advocated for the construction of the hall to show the importance of Melville for the railway.
- Originally the site of luxurious balls, council meetings, and more.
- An addition was built in 1976 to hold the municipal offices and the original building has been renovated.
- Used today for cultural events, dance lessons, council meetings, and more.
- Over the years, multiple reports of ghost sightings have been told and tours have been given.
Motter's Plumbing & Heating - 429 Main St.
- Constructed in 1908
- Ervin G. Motter was the first tradesman to set up shop in Melville. He is pictured with his wife on the right.
- He formed a partnership with E. N. Argue, who had a hardware shop on the first floor.
- Motter had his metal shop on the second floor.
- After their business partnership dissolved, Motter continued on and put heating and plumbing in the Post office, King George Hotel, Central school, St. Paul's Lutheran College, amongst other buildings.
- Queen Street Plumbing, Heating, and Electrical is located there today.
Original Home - 514 Main St.
- Constructed in approximately 1915
- Sturdy brick home.
- One of the oldest original houses in the city.
All Saint's Anglican Church - 602 Main St.
- Constructed in 1909
- The congregation led by Reverend King raised $800 to construct their first church.
- The furnishings in the church were donated by other Reverends or constructed/donated by parishioners.
- In 1954, the Archbishop of Canterbury visited this church.
- Over the years, the church has undergone many renovations to meet the needs of the parishioners such as a parish centre, community choir, office space, new carpets, and more.
- The church is still active today.
All Saint’s Anglican Rectory - 124 6th Ave. E
Original Home - 112 8th Ave. W
- Constructed in 1920
- It belonged to H.E. Ross, one of the city’s early lawyers.
Original Home - 201 8th Ave. W
- Constructed in 1907
- It is the oldest house still standing in Melville.
Wartime Houses - 250 & 258 9th Ave. W
- Constructed in 1947-49
- Built with two bedrooms for returning veterans and their families.
- Payments were $25/month.
Mary Immaculate Convent - 118 9th Ave. W
- Constructed in the early 1920's
- Used by the Dominican Sisters, who taught at St. Henry's Schools until 1950.
- Currently just a normal town house.
Away We Grow Daycare - 633 Main St.
- Constructed in 1909
- The building had four classrooms and the superintendent's office.
- three "cottage schools" were added between 1911 and 1922 to the grounds with two classrooms each.
- A second Central School was built beside the original in 1928.
- Torn down in 1973, to make way for three new buildings to cope with the overcrowding of schools.
- Is currently being used as a daycare center.
WARCRY Martial Arts #62 - 543 Main St.
- Constructed in 1923
- It is now the home of Sil Foo Kung Fu Training Centre.
- CLICK here for Map
Jewish Synagogue - 273 5th Ave W
- Constructed in 1919
- Chandeliers and scrolls were purchased with money form the congregation.
- A Jewish School was held in the synagogue until 1942.
- The synagogue has been renovated to be used as a home.
- CLICK here for Map
Bethany Evangelical Church - 5th Ave & Queen St.
- Constructed in 1913
- Konigsburg Church was also built in 1916, in unison with the minister of the Melville church.
- Konigsburg Church was retired in 1955 and the congregation amalgamated with the Bethany Evangelical Church.
- The church is still active today.
- CLICK here for Map
First United Church - 5th Ave & King St.
- 1908 the Articles of Union were signed
- This was the first United Church in Canada.
- Before the church was built, the congregation 'borrowed' a Reverend and used the space at St. Paul's Lutheran Church
- The church was completely destroyed by a fire in 1916. The congregation used Town Hall until the church was rebuilt in 1920. The process took longer than expected due to the war restricting materials.
- In 1981, the future of the church was analyzed and deemed safe to use.
- The congregation successfully petitioned to the provincial government to have the church deemed a heritage site.
Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church - 5th Ave. & Prince Edward St.
- Discussion took place as early as 1923 to build this church
- Construction was completed in 1928.
- the interior of the church features the Iconostas (Icon screen) built by Mr. Chyz in 1954, a chandelier, and other Byzantine architecture to create the church seen today.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church - 238 3rd Ave. E
- Constructed in 1907
- The original congregation was formed by Pastor A. Fricke.
- It was the first church in Melville and the deed for the land was given as a gift.
- In 1916, lighting struck the bell tower.
- The church is still in use today and features modern amenities, a parish, offices, stained glass windows, a library, classrooms, and furnace room. A smaller private Worship Room is also available.
Classic Inn - 203 3rd Ave. E
- Constructed in 1942
- Was originally the Swift Egg Drying Plant.
- Two carloads of shelled eggs per day were dried and shipped to Britain.
- At it's peak in 1946, 100 employees were on payroll.
- By 1968, the plant permanently closed.
Melville Post Office - NE corner of 4th Ave. & Main St.
- Constructed in 1928
- The Post Office had been in two locations downtown prior to this current building.
- In 1950, the Post Office had 600 lock boxes, but has increased to over 2400 boxes.
- All mail was transported by mail until the 1960's.
- The Post Office became part of the Canada Post Corporation in 1981.
- It is still in use today as the post office.
Bowl Arena - 312 Main St.
- Constructed in 1913
- Originally the Princess Theatre; this building had a 500 seat capacity and was a first-class service.
- An orchestra accompanied silent films.
- In 1930, the theatre was sold and remodeled in 1953.
- It is still in use today as the Melville Bowl Arena.
King George Hotel - 240 Main St.
- Constructed in 1909
- Originally named The Windsor Hotel
- The King George Hotel burned down in 2010 and was moved to a temporary location, only to be burned again in 2012.
- Today, the original site of the hotel is a quiet downtown park with a memorial plaque.
Melville Jewelry - 241 Main St.
Constructed in 1925
Elks Lodge - 200 Main St.
- Constructed in 1914 by the Merchants Bank of Canada
- The structure replaced the bank's two-story frame.
- In 1922, they merged with the Bank of Montreal and were fully equipped with safety deposit boxes and a fireproof safe.
- In 1970 the Bank of Montreal moved and the vacated building became the Elks Lodge.
The Redgwick Block - 122 2nd Ave. E
- Built in 1907
- Was Melville's first 'block' and building - The Pioneer Store.
- Shortly after, the name Melville was chosen and the town was developed further.
Waverly Hotel - 145 2nd Ave. E
- Constructed in approximately 1915
- It was built by Walter Snelgrove, then sold to James Benwell, who then sold it to Julius Lots in 1919.
- Julius and his sons operated the Waverly until their retirement in 1967.
- It is in use today as a bar and restaurant, but they do not take hotel bookings.
Canadian National Railway Station - 1st Ave. & Main St.
- Constructed in 1908 by Carter, Hall and Adlinger Co.
- It follows the Type A station Style dictated by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company at that time.
- It features a long hip-gabled roof with a swept dormer at each end. The gables feature decorative timbering.
- Originally it housed a restaurant (The Beanery), waiting rooms, operators, office, baggage room, and living quarters.
- The dormers were removed when the roof was repaired. Restoration of the Heritage building will see their return. A meeting on January 4, 2006 at City Hall centered around the future plans to turn the CN Rail Station Building into a CN Western Canada Hockey Hall of Fame.