Born and trained in England, Wheeler came to Winnipeg in 1882 and went on to design dozens of buildings across the province.
His Winnipeg works include Holy Trinity Church on Donald Street, Dalnavert and the Peck Building on Princess Street. In Brandon, the Merchants Bank building on Rosser and the Brandon Insane Asylum (now partly Assiniboine Community College) are his. Also, the original provincial jail in Portage la Prairie.
Image Source: MHS
Wheeler was also an accomplished organist and choirmaster. When he retired, he became the music critic for the Winnipeg Tribune.
On the way home from the theatre on New Year's Day, Wheeler slipped and fell on an icy patch of sidewalk. He died six days later in General Hospital at the age of 78.
Though he was a long time member and the choirmaster for Knox Church, his funeral was held in Holy Trinity, his first major Winnipeg commission.
For more on Wheeler and his work, read this biography and The Architectural Legacy of Charles Wheeler. For a more complete list of his work, see the Biographical Dictionary or MHS.
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