March 22nd, 2020:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in Colour Photos Book 1

‘The Gateway to the West’ and ‘The Chicago of the North’ were two of the phrases used to describe Winnipeg’s future in the heady days of the late nineteenth century. Especially important in Winnipeg’s phenomenal growth was its role as middleman between eastern Canadian manufacturers and their new markets in what would become Alberta and Saskatchewan. As waves of homesteaders from central Canada and many European countries poured into Canada’s prairies, dry goods, hardware and groceries all became increasingly important for the consumers, the manufacturers and Winnipeg’s warehouse men and wholesalers, and it became increasingly important for Winnipeg’s wholesalers to have railway connections both to receive raw materials and stock and to ship goods to western markets.

Branch railway lines or spur lines, built to service the wholesalers were first constructed on the west side of Main Street near City Hall in the 1870s and 1880s. The warehouse district area grew rapidly, and Winnipeg hardware merchant J.H. Ashdown negotiated a spur line of the Winnipeg Transfer Railway in 1895 through the area immediately east of City Hall and Main Street. This line ran up the middle of the land between Bannatyne and Market Avenues and it was here that Ashdown built his large warehouse (157-179 Bannatyne Avenue) in 1896.

The Exchange District is a well-established and vibrant neighborhood in Winnipeg. It features a large and well-preserved collection of heritage buildings which include huge stone and brick warehouses, elegant terracotta-clad buildings, narrow angled streets and cobblestone paths. The Exchange District is an arts and cultural hub which features a thriving film, arts and music scene with many studios, art spaces, festivals and events.

The Exchange District is in downtown Winnipeg just north of Portage and Main. It derives its name from the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, the center of the grain exchange in Canada. The Exchange District is the historic center of commerce in Western Canada. The District developed from the banks of the Red River at the foot of Bannatyne and Dermot Avenues. Most commercial traffic came along the Red River from St. Paul, Minnesota where the nearest rail line passed. Goods were shipped to Winnipeg by steamer during high water in spring.

The Canadian Pacific Railway built its transcontinental line through Winnipeg which arrived in 1881. Thousands of settlers came west from Europe and Eastern Canada to farm the land. Winnipeg business developed quickly to meet the needs of the growing western population. The Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange was founded in 1887 and within a few years Winnipeg was one of the world’s fastest-growing grain centers. Winnipeg was also one of the largest rail centers in North America with twelve lines passing through the city by 1890 and there were over eighty wholesale businesses located in the District. Wholesale goods were shipped in from Lake Superior ports in the spring and grain was shipped out from Winnipeg to the Lakehead in the fall. The Exchange represented Canada throughout the world and it largely financed Winnipeg’s growth. Together with a strong world economy supported by an increase in gold reserves, the Exchange attracted many British and Eastern Canadian banks, trust, insurance and mortgage companies to the District to do business.

Through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, the city was linked to other major financial centers of London, Liverpool, New York and Chicago. Most Canadian financial institutions established their Western Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg and by 1910 there were almost twenty banking halls and offices on Main Street between City Hall and Portage Avenue. Many Winnipeg-based financial companies were also established.

Most Victorian buildings in Winnipeg were later replaced by larger structures that would serve its expanding businesses. The Victorian grouping on Princess Street is one of the best examples of such buildings in Winnipeg while others can be found on Main Street north of the District. Many Victorian buildings are Italianate in style and are constructed of heavy wood post and beam (some including fireproof iron columns) with heavily detailed masonry load-bearing walls, variously arched windows and metal or corbelled brick cornices.

Some of the finest warehouses in North America based on an American Romanesque style can be found in Winnipeg. The Romanesque warehouses are typically of heavy wood post and beam construction with foundations of large rough-faced stone blocks set with deep, recessed joints (called rustication) and brick walls with piers and stone spandrels to support heavy loads. The Romanesque or round-head arch is used in the tunnels through the buildings which provided for protected loading and unloading of goods within, and in the large windows which provided natural light to the interior before electric light was affordable.