1889 - Data Points by Date/Period

The Windsor Hotel, a landmark in Montreal’s history, opened in 1878 and became Canada’s first grand hotel. Initially funded by a consortium of prominent Montreal businessmen, including photographer William Notman, it quickly became a social and business center for the city, hosting notable figures like John A. Macdonald, Mark Twain, and Oscar Wilde. In 1889, it gained a prime connection to the Windsor Station, enhancing its status as Montreal’s social hub.Over the years, it expanded to include a new wing, the Windsor Annex, complete with the renowned 'Peacock Alley,' named for its stained glass. The hotel played a key role in Montreal’s social life, hosting events like the annual St. Andrew’s Society Ball and even the 1917 meeting that founded the National Hockey League. Despite its success, the hotel faced two devastating fires, one in 1906 and another in 1957, which led to the demolition of the original structure. Only the North Annex survived, which continued operating until competition forced the hotel’s closure in 1981.In 1987, the Windsor Hotel was transformed into 'Le Windsor,' an office building that houses key tenants like Valeurs mobilières Desjardins and the Bronfman family’s Claridge offices. Its historic ballrooms and Peacock Alley were preserved and remain available for events, offering a glimpse into the hotel’s former grandeur. Recent renovations have enhanced the building while maintaining its architectural features, with event spaces available for rent and ongoing restorations respecting its rich heritage.

Montreal's New York Life Insurance Building, also known as the Quebec Bank Building, is an office building located at Place d'Armes in Old Montreal. Erected between 1887 and 1889, it was the tallest commercial building in the city at the time, with eight floors of retail office space that quickly attracted top lawyers and financiers. The ninth and tenth floors housed the country’s largest legal library, a gift from the owner. Situated next to the historic Aldred Building, it was designed by architects Babb, Cook and Willard and built by contractor Peter Lyall for the New York Life Insurance Company at a cost of $750,000. The building is notable for its use of imported red sandstone from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, marking a departure from the local grey stone typically used in Montreal.The site was strategically chosen for its proximity to Montreal’s business hub, and the construction involved demolishing two buildings, including l’Hotel Compain. Quebec Bank purchased the building in 1909 and occupied the ground floor before merging with the Royal Bank of Canada in 1917. The bank’s name is still carved above the entrance.Located near the Place-d'Armes Metro, the building is close to other landmarks like the Notre-Dame Basilica, Aldred Building, and Bank of Montreal Building. It draws inspiration from Italian Renaissance architecture and New York designs, with a hybrid structure combining iron beams, girders, and brick bearing walls. Decorative elements, such as arabesques and pilaster capitals, were crafted by Henry Beaumont, while the ornamental iron gate was made by the E. Chanteloup workshop.The building stands 46.3 meters tall with eight floors, including a clock tower, and spans a total floor area of 6,890 m². Its interior features marble-covered walls and Renaissance-style decorative plaster ceilings. A wooden banister tops the ornamental iron staircase railing. The address was originally 13 Place d’Armes Hills but later changed to 511 Place d’Armes.Throughout its history, the building has seen several renovations, including modernization of the third to fifth floors in 1952 and the addition of two residential penthouses during a 2006–2007 restoration. One of the penthouses is occupied by the current owner. The building has housed notable tenants like the Montreal Real Trust Company, National Bank of Canada, and Société de Fiducie du Quebec. Akelius Montreal Ltd. acquired the building in 2020 and are its current owners.

The settlement now known as Kenaston, Saskatchewan, was originally called Bonnington Springs, Assiniboia, in the North-West Territories. It was typically referred to as Bonnington. When Saskatchewan became a province in late 1905, the name was changed to Kenaston in honor of F.E. Kenaston, Vice President of the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company.The railroad reached Bonnington in 1889, but there were no permanent residents until 1902. That year, the Saskatchewan Valley Land Company was formed by a group of wealthy American men. The company's president, Col. A.D. Davidson, and F.E. Kenaston, who also headed the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, played key roles.The company purchased 839,000 acres from the railway at $1.53 per acre, along with another 250,000 acres from the Dominion Government at $1.00 per acre. Through effective advertising and land agents, the area between Regina and Saskatoon was quickly populated with settlers between 1902 and 1910.The growing settlement, driven by the needs of new settlers, incorporated as a village in July 1910. Key developments included the opening of the Kenaston School in 1905, the construction of the first store in 1903, and the establishment of a post office and hotel in 1904. The village saw its first grain elevator built by the Canadian Elevator Company in 1906, and the CNR built a 40,000-gallon water tower near the train station in 1910.In 1904, Croatian settlers began arriving in the Kenaston area, mostly from Lovinac and nearby villages in Croatia. These families, such as the Pavelich, Prpich, and Tomljenovich families, were joined by others over the following decade. By 1914, Croatians held 41 homesteads in the area, and by the 1920s, they had acquired 50,000 acres of land. This was a stark contrast to their backgrounds as poor, illiterate farmers in Croatia, where farms were often as small as one or two acres.Many of these Croatian settlers had first worked in railroad gangs in the U.S. and as coal miners in Canada before hearing about homesteads in Saskatchewan. They initially arrived as single men and were later joined by wives and family members. Despite limited education, they quickly adapted, developing large-scale grain farms.The Croatian settlers valued cooperation, reflected in their strong support for organizations like the United Grain Growers and the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Their children helped them learn English, and within a generation, some even adopted English names. Community life revolved around church activities, school concerts, fairs, and family events like weddings and baptisms.While Kenaston became the most prominent Croatian settlement in Saskatchewan, smaller groups of Croatians settled elsewhere, including near Leask. Some Croatian settlers also lived alongside Serbian neighbors, such as those who founded Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Regina in 1916, the first Serbian Orthodox parish in Canada.

Yorkton is a city in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, situated approximately 450 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon. It ranks as the sixth largest city in the province. Founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928, Yorkton is surrounded by the rural municipalities of Orkney to the north, west, and south, and Wallace to the east.The city's origins trace back to 1882 when a group of businessmen and investors formed the York Farmers Colonization Company. They were authorized to issue up to $300,000 in debentures, and lenient government credit terms on land purchases further facilitated their efforts. The company representatives visited the District of Assiniboia in the North-West Territories to inspect available crown land near the Manitoba border. Impressed by the land, they purchased portions of six townships near the Little Whitesand River (now Yorkton Creek) to establish a settlement and a trade center, which eventually became known as York Colony. The colony initially settled on the banks of the Little Whitesand River, where settlers who purchased land from the company were given lots. This settlement remained at its original site until 1889, located at PT SE 1/4 13-26-4 W2M. In 1889, with the extension of the rail line to the Yorkton area, the colony relocated alongside the new rail line.Yorkton is part of the aspen parkland ecosystem, characterized by agricultural terrain with no forestry industry. The region features black calcareous chernozemic soils and lies on the edge of a former glacial lake, with quaternary geology shaping it into a moraine plain of glacial deposits. The bedrock geology includes the Pembina Member of Vermillion River Formation and Riding Mountain Formation. Yorkton is situated within the Quill Lake-Yorkton Plain region of the Saskatchewan Plains Region.The city experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), with significant seasonal temperature variations. Summers are warm, while winters are cold, with average daily temperatures ranging from −17.9 °C in January to 17.8 °C in July. Yorkton's highest recorded temperature was 40.6 °C on July 19, 1941, and the coldest was −46.1 °C on January 20, 1943.According to the 2021 Census of Population by Statistics Canada, Yorkton had a population of 16,280, a slight decrease from its 2016 population of 16,343. The city covers a land area of 36.19 km², with a population density of 449.8/km². The first settlers in Yorkton were primarily English from Eastern Ontario and Great Britain, with Scottish settlers establishing the nearby Orkney settlement, located six miles west. Additionally, a significant portion of Yorkton's residents are descendants of Ukrainian immigrants who arrived in the early 20th century.

Achilleion, or Αχίλλειο in Greek, stands as a palace constructed on the island of Corfu for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, following a recommendation from the Austrian consul Alexander von Warsberg. Elisabeth, deeply affected by the tragic loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, in the Mayerling incident of 1889, commissioned the construction of this summer palace a year later as a sanctuary. Situated in the village of Gastouri, approximately ten kilometers to the south of the city of Corfu, Achilleion offers a breathtaking panorama of the city to the north and the southern expanse of the island, bordered by the Ionian Sea to the east. The architectural design of the palace was conceived to evoke the ambiance of an ancient mythical palace from Phaeacia, with its central theme revolving around the Greek mythological hero, Achilles, from whom the palace derives its name. Corfu held a special place in Elisabeth's heart as her preferred vacation destination, and she envisioned the palace as a tribute to her admiration for Greece, its language, and its culture. Currently, the property serves as a museum under the administration of the Hellenic Tourism Development Company, under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization.Achilleion, a palace initially known as 'Villa Vraila,' was originally owned by Corfiote philosopher and diplomat Petros Brailas-Armenis. In 1888, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) decided to build her own palace on Corfu after visiting the location. The palace, designed by Italian architect Raffaele Caritto, occupies an area of 200,000 square meters. It was adorned with sculptures inspired by Greek mythology, with 'Dying Achilles' by German sculptor Ernst Herter at the heart of the Achilleion Gardens. The architectural style aimed to emulate an ancient Phaeacian palace, and the palace was named after the Greek hero Achilles. It was enriched with paintings and statues of Achilles, depicting various aspects of the Trojan War. Sisi used Achilleion as a private retreat and refuge. After Sisi's death, the palace was inherited by her daughter, Archduchess Gisela. Later, German Kaiser Wilhelm II purchased Achilleion in 1907 and used it as a summer residence. The Kaiser was involved in archaeological excavations on Corfu and commissioned a bronze statue of Achilles for the palace grounds. During World War I, the palace served as a military hospital, and after the war, it became Greek state property. In the interwar years, it housed an orphanage and was used for government functions. During World War II, it was used as a military headquarters by the Axis powers. In 1962, the upper level of Achilleion was converted into a casino, while the lower grounds became a museum. In 1983, the management of the palace was returned to the Hellenic Tourist Organisation (HTO). Over the years, the palace has hosted historical conferences and European summits. Today, it primarily functions as a museum, with the casino operations moved elsewhere.

Republicii Street, known as the Gate Street in the medieval town of Brasov, holds historical significance as the main thoroughfare. An emblem of antiquity, the Drugstore Jekelius (located at no. 17) was constructed in the XVIth century, standing at the intersection with the present-day Michael Weiss Street, historically referred to as Nuns' Street in the Middle Ages due to its association with the Saint John Monastery, documented since the XVth century and later entrusted to the Franciscan Order during the XVIIIth century. On the southern side of Republicii Street, notable residences once stood, including the Hirscher family residence, replaced in 1908 by the Saxon National Bank headquarters, meticulously designed by the architect Albert Schuller of Brasov (at Michael Weiss Street 22). Albert Schuller also lent his design expertise to the construction of Hotel Coroana (The Crown) (1909-1910, at no. 62), embodying the '1900s style' in the German Jugendstil fashion for Brasov. Another contemporary architectural gem is the House of shoemaker Heinrich Bahmüller (at no. 16, 1906), where the façade resonates with the Viennese Sezessionul style, while the adornments of the house at no. 10 (1902) amalgamate neo-Gothic architecture with elements of the new style. The iconic House of confectioner Montaldo, also known as Tortenhaus (at no. 14), stands as a landmark building in the town, designed by architect Peter Bartesch in 1864. This building later became the residence of Baross hotel. At the eastern end of Republicii Street once stood the principal town gate, dismantled in the XIXth century along with the north-eastern fortifications of Brasov's Stronhold. Beyond the fortified wall's former location, where executions and witch burnings transpired in the Middle Ages, new administrative edifices were erected, such as The Finances Palace (1897-1898, now the City Hall), The Justice Palace (1902, presently the Prefecture), and The Post Palace (1906). Progressing from Portica towards Warthe, notable constructions include Vila Kertsch (1887, demolished in 1970), The Artisans Association's House (1902, now the Museum of Art), Vila Schuller (1896, deconstructed in 1962), The State Humanistic Superior School (1888-1889, now the T wing of the University), and The Reformed Church (1891-1892, designed by architect Alpár Ignátz), which was later demolished in 1963 to accommodate the new wing of 'Aro Palace' Hotel, planned by architect Iancu Rădăcină, and the modernist-styled construction by renowned international architect Horia Creangă, completed between 1938-1939. These newer edifices form a boundary towards the 'Stronghold' Rudolf Boulevard (Rudolfsring, later Carol I Boulevard, presently Heroes Boulevard), situated along the medieval defense ditch on the north-eastern side.

The church, now serving as a summer cathedral for Sozopol, stands in the northern section of today's Sea Garden. In 1889, it was erected through the skilled craftsmanship of the renowned first master-builder, Gencho Kanev from Tryavna, funded by contributions from the newly established Bulgarian church community. During the latest restoration, a list of donors was discovered within a capsule beneath the base of the holy altar table. Architecturally, it takes the form of a three-nave, one-apse, cross-domed church, adorned with four freestanding pillars and an exterior bell tower that connects to a narthex from the main level. This design embodies the master's distinctive style, influenced by Neoclassicism, featuring pilasters at the corners, triangular pediments, a dome with arched openings, and embedded columns. The bell tower, a lightweight structure with four walls, culminates in a hemispherical dome, a design that endured until 1930.

Originally known as Palazzo De Marchi, Villa Frova showcases stylistic elements reminiscent of Venetian Villas. It once served as the residence for Antonio and Stefano De Marchi, a father and son who were architects active in the latter half of the 19th century. The property was later purchased in 1889 by Luigi Frova, giving rise to its current name. The villa was home to the Frova family, Lombard industrialists from Stevenà, engaged in sericulture. Adjacent to the villa are still-visible old dryers used to process silkworm cocoons, a testament to the family's industry. The villa's structure resembles a palace but is believed to have originated from the conversion of a modest dwelling, possibly the abode of master mason Stefano De Marchi senior. The restoration work, influenced by the Venetian style seen in Antonio De Marchi's earlier projects, likely took place in the early 1800s. This restoration stands apart from neoclassical norms and proportions. In the late 1990s, Villa Frova came under municipal ownership, prompting planning and renovation efforts. As a result, the villa was reopened to the public in October 2012.

The Rijeka railway station (Željeznički kolodvor Rijeka), which opened in 1873, is situated close to the port of Rijeka and is operated by Croatian Railways (HŽ). After the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement of 1868, the Free State of Fiume received a special status within Croatia's personal union with Hungary, leading to the expansion of the Port of Rijeka, designated as the main commercial port of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1873, railway routes from Budapest via Zagreb and Karlovac, and from Vienna via Ljubljana & Pivka to Rijeka were completed, and the station opened on June 25, 1873. A year later, a direct rail connection to Trieste was established. In the 1880s, with the founding of one of Europe's first oil refineries in Rijeka, the port and station underwent expansion, adding new warehouses. The current station building, designed by the architect Ferenc Pfaff from Budapest, was constructed between 1889 and 1891 in the neoclassical style. The preserved building features a 150 m long single-story arcaded section, a two-story central entrance hall, and two head-end buildings on each side. Following the First World War, Rijeka was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, and the station became a border station under the ownership of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, which electrified the Rijeka-Pivka line with a 3000 V DC system. After the Second World War, the station became part of the Yugoslav Railways (JŽ) network, and since 1991, it has been under the ownership of Croatian Railways (HŽ).

The National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History in the Republic of Moldova is the oldest museum in the country, founded in 1889. It has undergone several name changes and reorganizations throughout its history. The museum focuses on the study of the nature and culture of Bessarabia. It is housed in a building constructed in the early 1900s and has remained there since. The museum has played a significant role in Moldova's museum development and has a diverse collection of geological, zoological, archaeological, and ethnographic artifacts. It has gained recognition internationally and has a valuable scientific library. In 1994, a permanent exhibition called 'Nature, Man, Culture' was opened, exploring the relationship between humans and nature throughout history.

1889 (14)

Other Dates/Periods

1901

01-06-2024

1932

1795

1463

Helpful Links

Read Now

Currently Analyzing