Wellington Crescent offers a calm ambience with plenty of green space. Just a stone’s throw from the city center, yet at the same time bathed in tranquility, its a well to do neighbourhood where the city’s most historic mansions are located.
Former Premier Brian Pallister owned this sprawling historic home on Wellington Crescent until selling it in 2021 to a young tech entrepreneur. Musi Inc. co-founder Aaron Wojnowski bought it from Pallister in an off market deal. His company developed an application in 2012 that allows users to stream and organize their own online library of music from YouTube. He and his partner were featured in a 2016 episode of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, and Musi Inc. has had global success. The Pallister mansion is the second Wellington Crescent home that Wojnowski has owned.
Before the Pallisters made the mansion their home, it had been the location for numerous movies, including the film The Lookout starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Jeff Daniels.
It was the temporary home to Jennifer Lopez throughout the summer that she spent in Winnipeg filming the movie Shall We Dance with Richard Gere and Susan Surandon int he early 2000s, and there’s a story about a creepy stalker that somehow managed to enter the house at night and sat in the solarium smoking a bunch of cigarettes while she slept. At least that’s according to a story that was circulating among those in the local film industry at the time.
As one member of the local film industry who had worked in production of The Lookout remarked, “Damn nice house”.
“It’s a premier property,” Peter Squire, vice-president of the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, said at the time. “It’s one of those exceptional houses on an exceptional street.
When the former premier sold the home, which he shared with his wife Esther, it was assessed by the City of Winnipeg at $2,445,000. When the PC government announced a 25 per cent education property tax rebate in budget that year, the Free Press reported the Pallisters would be receiving a $4,011 rebate based on $16,044 paid in property taxes.
The home didn’t sell on the multiple listing service when it changed hands, suggesting it was either a private or exclusive sale, Peter Squire told the Winnipeg Free Press at the time.
It was reported by the Free Press that sources indicated the Pallisters had downsized to a condo in Winnipeg since the empty-nesters no longer needed a mansion for entertaining, as they did when it was the residence of a premier. They reportedly still owned a home near Portage la Prairie, in addition to the former premier’s much talked about vacation property in Costa Rica, which features armed guards at the entry gates.
In 2012, when Brian Pallister was the Opposition leader, the couple’s purchase of the $2-million, 9,000-square-foot riverfront property on Wellington Crescent made headlines and caused a lot of chatter.
Pallister called a new conference at the time to explain he wasn’t born into wealth and worked to be able to afford the residence which came complete with its own backyard basketball court and heated seven-car garage with a loft.
Before becoming Manitoba’s Premiere, Pallister had successful careers in Farm/ Agricultural Insurance, and finance.
The home was built in 1935 on 1.7 acres, and once owned by Graeme Sifton, great-grandson of Clifford Sifton, one of the original owners of the Free Press. It was once listed in 2007 for $3.3 million.
The most expensive that sold in Winnipeg in 2021 on the MLS, prior to the Pallister mansion, was a $2.75-million property built in 2017 on Victoria Crescent, Squire said. That year there had been 75 homes that sold for more than $1 million in Winnipeg on the MLS as of the time of the sale of the Pallister mansion.
The most expensive home ever sold in the city on the multiple listing service the previous year was a $3.75 million in Tuxedo in 2020, according to Squire.
About The Wellington Crescent Neighbourhood
If historic mansions are your thing, and you have over a million dollars for your nest, then Wellington Crescent or the surrounding neighbourhood could be the perfect place for you to call home.
The noise levels in this area are quite low, as the streets are usually reasonably tranquil. Finally, green spaces are especially well-distributed and there are a few of them nearby for residents to discover, resulting in them being easy to get to from the majority of locations in Wellington Crescent.
Wellington Crescent presents residents with several alternative modes of transportation. This neighbourhood is a fairly pleasant part of Winnipeg for pedestrians; running daily errands is easy, and there are also a good number of businesses nearby. Commuting by public transit is convenient in this part of the city as a result of one nearby bus line. This neighbourhood is also very car friendly. It is convenient to access a parking spot, and nearby highways are very easy to drive to from anywhere in this area.
Services
Schools and daycares are very easy to walk to from most homes for sale in this area. With regards to eating, both general and specialty grocery stores are typically accessible within a rather short walk from most houses for sale in this part of the city. Additionally, those who like to dine in restaurants will have a good number of choices. It is also convenient to get to a selection of clothing stores on foot.
Character
Wellington Crescent offers a calm ambience and will appeal to those who enjoy spending time in green spaces. The noise levels in this area are quite low, as the streets are usually reasonably tranquil. Finally, green spaces are especially well-distributed and there are a few of them nearby for residents to discover, resulting in them being easy to get to from the majority of locations in Wellington Crescent.
Housing
In Wellington Crescent, the overwhelming majority of buildings are single detached homes, and the remaining properties are mainly duplexes. This neighbourhood is primarily composed of three bedroom and four or more bedroom homes. Homeowners occupy about 90% of the units in Wellington Crescent and the rest are rented. Most housing in this neighbourhood was built pre-1960, during its most significant building boom.