191 McLeod, the MacKenzie Apartments, Stewarton, Centretown Ottawa

The Mackenzie Apartments were likely completed in late 1909, with the first mention of a move-in appearing in the Ottawa Journal's January 11 1910 social notes. 

Well lah-dee-dah, as my dear departed mother would have said.

As late as 1908 (per the City Directory) the lot was home to Mrs. Justina C. Sears (a widow, one assumes) living in a modest BV 1½-storey, albeit on a generous corner lot (when corner lots were the quite-quite), facing onto Elgin Street and numbered 410.

So where did Mrs. Sears move when her home was demolished to make way for the MacKenzie Apartments? Into the MacKenzie of course, along with her son Archie. And who were these people? This, from the Ottawa Citizen, March 8 1917, in the heat of WWI. 

I can find little biographical material on Mrs. Sears but clearly, she had a head on her shoulders and better things to do than lol about the house, adverting for "help," hosting teas and otherwise "receiving."

This brings us to an odd piece of architecture. I took this photo, standing in the rain last November. The subject is a lopsided, single-vehicle-width garage, apparently being used for garbage and recycling storage. Construction appears to have been cinderblock, with a genuine (!!!) limestone veneer en facade. The structure was demolished some time in the last year.

To the right of image is the rear of the MacKenzie, to the left is part of the Croydon Apartments at 201 McLeod — rentals announced in October 1963 (Ottawa Journal.)

Getting back to the garage, notice that it has its own address plate hanging of its eaves to the right. As cute as it might be to think that our wee shed was given its own street number, #191 is, of course, the address of the MacKenzie.

Goad 1912 shows the MacKenzie in red. I've added the now-footprint of the Croydon (blue box) covering three 19th c. homes, #s 195, 197 and 201. The red arrows show where the little garage would eventually be inserted — when is not clear, though it seems to be visible on the 1928 aerials.

Of the three Croydon-footprint houses, #195 at the east end was the last-built, c. 1898, home to one Roderick D. MacKenzie ... yes, there's that name again. This from the Ottawa Journal, June 8 1911.

Unanswered questions — 

Did Roderick MacKenzie buy that corner lot from the widow Sears and build an apartment on it (named after himself)? Or was that a complete coincidence?

Was the garage originally associated with #195 or the MacKenzie? I'm guessing the former, but I've been guessing a lot these days and rather to know for sure.