North End, Winnipeg was a poor, overcrowded, working class neighbourhood settled by eastern European immigrants in the early years of the 20th century. It was initially home to mostly Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish and German communities. The Bobowsky, Kondratiuk, Bonder and Magid families all lived in the neighbourhood at various addresses including Atlantic, Boyd, Burrows, Flora, Manitoba, Mountain, Pritchard, Redwood, Selkirk and Stella Avenues.
Houses in the North End were small, typically two-room bungalows. In the first part of the 20th century they would have relied on well water, kerosene lighting, coal heating and outhouses or sceptic tanks. Over time they were connected to water mains and sewage lines and the electric grid. Wages were low and residents often took in boarders to help pay the rent which led to overcrowding and promoted the spread of diseases. The area features a number of prominent buildings including the Ukrainian Labour Temple where Martin Bobowsky worked for many years, and several Ukrainian Orthodox churches.