The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and its History
By admin
In 1960, the Board of Trade, by this time called The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, moved to 177 Lombard Ave., located in the heart of Western Canada’s financial and grain marketing district.
Built in 1911 on land purchased two years earlier by the Great-West Life Assurance Company for its new head office, the building was built at a cost of $400,000. Local architect John D. Atchison designed it in the Beaux-Arts style of classicism. Initially it was only four storeys, but another four floors were added in 1922. The Chamber occupied the seventh and eighth floors.
A fire in The Chamber Club in 1980 forced the clubrooms to temporarily relocate to what is today The Fairmont Winnipeg. By night, Chimes Restaurant was open for public dining, but at noon, it operated as The Chamber Club — Mayor Bill Nonie officially designating it as such.
The fire, which also caused smoke and water damage to the offices, forced The Chamber to once again look for new premises. In 1981, it moved across Rorie Street to 167 Lombard Ave., The Grain Exchange Building.
Built in 1906 to accommodate an expanding number of traders, The Exchange was a seven-storey building, in keeping with the Chicago School of Architecture’s designs for tall, steel- framed commercial buildings. Three major additions (in 1913, 1916 and 1922) extended the building to the north to McDermot Avenue and upward to 10 storeys. The Chamber occupied the fifth and sixth floors, with its offices on the fifth floor and the clubroom on the sixth.
Believing that downtown revitalization was a strategic priority The Chamber decided to show its commitment to “the heart of the business community” and in 2003, announced the creation of a new International Business Centre in which The Chamber, Manitoba Trade and Destination Winnipeg would co-locate in the Paris Building, 259 Portage Ave.
“The IBC will house the office of each organization, creating a central point of contact to engage local, national and international business in discussions on trade, investment and strategic alliances. Anticipated benefits of the IBC include increased public visibility and greater collaboration and co-ordination of strategic economic development and trade activities,” said a news release dated Feb. 26, 2003.
Totalling 43,729 square feet, the International Business Centre represented one of the largest office redevelopments and leases in modern downtown history. Roughly $4 million was invested in the character building, which for years had largely sat vacant.
Built in two stages (the first five storeys in 1915 and the upper six in 1917), the Paris Building was once described as Winnipeg’s “most elegantly clothed steel-frame skyscraper.”
The building, which initially cost $330 featured magnificent terra cotta ornamentation and striking architectural detail. The rental office and retail space was graced with grey marble wainscoting and stairs, elegant woodwork and glass partitions between airy, well-lit rooms.
Dingwall’s Jewellers and Shea’s Custom Tailors originally occupied the first two floors with the upper storeys devoted to a number of insurance companies and manufacturers’ agents. Today, Chamber offices occupy the ground floor, while on second floor The Chamber has its Conference Centre boardrooms, ‘business lounge and Xerox Business Solutions Centre, which provides computers and other office equipment for use by members on-the-go.
The Chamber is proud that it’s been able, in part, to ensure that Winnipeg’s most unique blend of the past and future is more than 90 per cent leased.
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November 19th, 2009
Looking back at the Winnipeg Board of Trade
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In the late 19th century, the Winnipeg Board Trade was a power to be reckoned with. Many of the leading citizens of the day were listed among its member and made their influence felt.
They quite literally found themselves at the “seat of power.”
They’d gather every afternoon in the cellar of A.G.B. (Andrew Graham Ballenden) Bannatyne, whose home near the corner of what’s now Main Street and Bannatyne Avenue served as the meeting place for the Legislature.
In 1886, with the official opening of a new City Hall, which some referred to as Victorian “fantasy” because of its “gingerbread” style, the Board of Trade had its first permanent home.
On Novemeber 24, 1887, 11 leading grain merchants met in the office of the Board of Trade at City Hall to form the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange. This set in motion a chain of events that would result in the construction of the first Grain Exchange Building at 164 Princess St., intended also to house the Board of Trade.
The Board of Trade and Exchange rooms were on the third floor, along with private offices for several prominent “grain men.” The interior finishing was elegant and much admired. Offices on the upper floors opened into a center light-well covered with a skylight so that each office had natural light.
The rapid growth of the grain trade soon necessitated the construction of a second Grain Exchange at 160 Princess St.
The new building, constructed at a cost of $35,000, featured four storeys of red brick, with a lower facing of stone and terra cotta moldings. The interior was finished in oak and marble and featured a pressed metal ceiling and stained glass windows. Corridors connected it to the old Exchange Building to the north. The Exchange and Board of Trade expanded into both buildings.
In 1908, the Board of Trade took over the Princess Street address after the Grain Exchange moved to new quarters on Lombard. Today, only the building’s façade remains. In 2002, the building was gutted and the façade became part of Red River College’s downtown campus.
In 1932, the Board of Trade sought a new home, moving into the Old National Building at 325 Main St., where it occupied the first floor. Today, the corner of Pioneer and Main bears no resemblance to its past — gone is the low-lying,• dark-brick building, replaced by a 13-storey office tower, home to MTS Allstream.
Some 15 years after the Board of Trade relocated onto Main Street, it made another move — just down the street to 346 Main St.
A brief item in The Winnipeg Board of Trade News Bulletin, stated:
“Effective Tuesday, June 24, 1947, the Winnipeg Board of Trade and Young Men’s Section took over the ground floor offices, formerly occupied by the London and Western Trust Company, 346 Main St.
The new premises have a commodious Board Room, and other improved facilities for meetings of membership, permitting of better service to the public, and altogether are more in keeping with the Board’s requirements.
Their telephone number remains the same —92 111.
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“The” Winnipeg Blizzard – March 4 , 1966
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THE MARCH 4 1966 BLIZZARD
The Day Winnipeg was Paralysed
by George Siamandas
I remember that storm–(Dave Sawatzky)
If you are over 40 and have lived in Winnipeg your whole life you likely remember the Blizzard of 1966. It occurred on Mar 4, a Friday and it shut down Winnipeg like it had never been shut down before. The buses stopped running. Snowmobiles took nurses and doctors to work and thousands of people were stuck downtown and slept overnight at Eatons and the Bay.
The winter of early 1966 was the third coldest year of the century, with 1950 and 1917 even colder. January 1966 tied January 1875 for the coldest month since records were kept at Red River. In February 1966 Winnipeg reached -49 the lowest February temperature ever recorded and the second coldest day ever. Winnipeg did not see the temperature go above zero for 90 days. But the year till then was without much snow.
Snow started to fall after midnight on Thursday and despite the heavy snow, on Friday morning March 4, people still went to work. But by mid morning the streets were impassable. The buses were called in by 11:00 am. and would not return to the streets till the next Saturday morning. Schools closed for the Friday and the following Monday as did stores, restaurants and theatres. The big storm piled up 14.6 inches and was driven by winds gusting up to 70 miles an hour. This was the worst winter storm since March 1902. Eight foot high drifts were reported in the new suburb of Westwood. After the cleanup the plows created 12 foot high walls of snow along Ness Ave. Hundreds of cars were reported stranded on the Transcanada Highway. The Grain Exchange did not open for the first time in its 61 year history.
WINNIPEG COPES
Mayor Juba was awakened by a CJOB reporter and told of the blizzard. He was able to make his way to City Hall in his big Cadillac where he set up an emergency headquarters. By afternoon city hall itself had become a shelter for people that could not make their way home. Chief George Blow urged people to stay off the streets
Snowmobiles were given to the police. Volunteers operated snowmobiles to take people to hospital and to deliver drugs to patients. CB radios were used for the first time to create an emergency communications network. Ken Dunston was CBC radio’s man that morning and the station became part of the emergency civil defense network. Unable to get home, CBC staff stayed at the Mall hotel for the night.
STRANDED
The buses were pulled off the streets. Soon those that could not walk home were stuck wherever they were. Thousands of people were stranded at City Hall and at Stores like Eatons and the Bay. And 1600 people were reported stranded at Eatons and the Bay. Eatons looked after 700 of its own staff and 400 customers. The women slept on the 9th floor and the men on the 7th. Fifty hockey players from Winnipeg neighbourhoods were stuck in Lorrette.
Standard Manitoba Hydro Power Line Showing Depth of Snow
POLICE DELIVER NORTH END BABY
Two policemen delivered a baby in the North End. How did they get there? With their own front end loader leading the path. Constables Mills and Const Martin both described as “family men” took instruction from a doctor over the phone and helped mother Mrs Herbstreit with the delivery of her baby boy. An emergency call found a doctor located four streets away who went over finding mother and child to be just fine.
THE AFTERMATH
Only two deaths were attributed to the blizzard. But 14 had died in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Police Chief George Blow said that he was happy that the crooks had stayed home. And of course there was the $1 million cleanup and finding help to pay for it.
WAS THERE A FLOOD?
Fortunately flooding was minor but the trees were two weeks later to leaf out and Winnipeg experienced a later spring. The snow was gone by early April, but there was another big snow, (8.7 “), in April and the snow did not melt till May 5th. For many that spring, it seemed summer would never come.
THE WORST IN WINNIPEG HISTORY?
Actually the 1997 blizzard saw more snow fall 43.2 cm Vs 38.1 cm. Other big snowfalls occurred in 1874 with 16.1 inches and 1893 with 14.8.
I remember that storm very distinctly as I had just started a new job (at Quest Metal Products) on Feb 25th 1966, and I was living in Stonewall at that time. I got up that morning to go to work, and I could not see the neighbour’s house across the street so I stayed home. MAN-WHAT A STORM!!!!!
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