133 MARKET AVENUE - Winnipeg€¦ · In July of 1946, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of...

133 MARKET AVENUE

FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY WAREHOUSE

City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings & Resources Committee

Researcher: M. Peterson July 2014

This building embodies the following heritage values as described in the Historical Resources By-law, 55/2014 (consolidated update July 13, 2016):

(a) This warehouse was built in 1946, replacing a collapsed structure on the same site; (b) It was associated for many years with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; (c) It was designed by noted local architect W. Ewart Fitz Munn; (d) It employs a reinforced concrete support system, brick walls and stucco cladding,

appropriate methods and materials for its age; (e) It stands near the east end of Market Avenue surrounded by other large warehouses; and (f) Some of the building’s exterior design has remained unaltered.

133 MARKET AVENUE

FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY WAREHOUSE

Winnipeg’s early warehouse district was dispersed throughout what is now downtown Winnipeg,

some businesses locating on the east side of Main Street, taking advantage of river transport

(Plate 1), and some west of the Main Street. Pockets of industrial development were also found

along the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) main line in Point Douglas by the early 1880s – the

railway’s station, freight sheds and right-of-way developing quickly. By the late 1880s, the

Northern Pacific and Manitoba Railway (NP&MR) had also developed a large industrial site,

including a station, offices, freight sheds, repair shops, an engine roundhouse and, at the corner

of Water Avenue and Main Street, the opulent Manitoba Hotel.1

While these two developments effectively defined the north and south boundaries of the

warehouse district east of Main Street, it was a third project that solidified and guaranteed the

success and growth of this area. In the summer of 1889, the Winnipeg Transfer Railway (WTR)

was formed to build a rail line along the Red River north from the NP&MR main line to the CPR

main line, hoping to provide modern rail service via spur lines to the warehouses in the area.

City Council approve the plan in October, stating “…such [a] railway is a great advantage to the

public interests of the residents of the city, and will increase the business to and from all parts of

the country, by providing a cheap and convenient method of transferring merchandise between

the above-named railways.”2 It would be three years before the WTR had purchased all the

necessary land and obtained all the legal agreements (and settled all the court cases). But by the

mid-1890s, the line was attracting some of the continent’s major manufacturers to the area and

plans for spur lines running west to the Main Street were started (Plate 2).3

1 This enterprise, however, did not meet with the same early success as its competitor and in 1901 was sold

to the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR), soon-to-be Canada’s second transcontinental railway, in 1901. In turn, the CNoR was taken over by the federal government after World War I to form part of its Canadian National Railways.

2 Manitoba Free Press, October 5, 1889. 3 Manitoba Free Press, various dates. It would not be until 1901 that the more established warehouse district

west of Main Street and south of the CPR track was served by a spur line, known as the Princess Street Spur.

2

The last two decades of the 19th century were, in Winnipeg, marked by periods of economic

upswing – the real estate boom of the early 1880s – and downturns – the real estate collapse of

1882. Several businessmen established themselves during this period and were able to withstand

these highs and lows and flourish during the early part of the 20th century. Alexander

MacDonald (1843-1928),4 a Scottish-born entrepreneur whose wholesale grocery business

located and expanded in two brick buildings on Main Street (Fortune Block, 232-234 Main

Street, built 1882 and the MacDonald Block [Commercial Hotel], 224-226 Main Street,

completed 1883) – Plate 3. With his business steadily expanding in Western Canada,

MacDonald built a new modern warehouse at 116-118 Market Avenue in 1902 (Plate 4). In

1910, the company built another large warehouse, this time a four-storey brick and stone

building on the site of the building under study, known then as #127 Market Avenue (Plates 5

and 6). Just two years later, MacDonald sold much of his company5 to the Toronto/Montreal-

based Dominion Bond Company for a staggering $2.5 million,6 renaming it Western Grocers in

1918 under the presidency of William Pitt Riley (1870-1954).7 This company remained at 127

Market Avenue until the late 1920s (it was renumbered 133 Market Avenue in the mid-1920s).8

The warehouse was then occupied by the Van Berkel Brothers Company, wholesale market

gardeners. By the 1940s, Midwest Storage and Distributing Company was the tenant of

4 Manitoba Free Press, July 1, 1921, pp. 1 and 3. MacDonald’s influence in the city went far beyond his

grocery business, he help establish the Manitoba Free Press newspaper with W.F. Luxton in 1872; he was president of Great West Life Assurance Company (1894-1921); an alderman on city council in 1887 and 1888; and mayor in 1892.

5 Manitoba Free Press, November 8, 1923, p. 35, August 11, 1928, p. 26 and Macdonalds Consolidated website, 2013 (http://macdonaldsconsolidated.ca/about/). A. MacDonald Company retained its branches in British Columbia and in 1914, created MacDonalds Consolidated with son Duncan Cameron MacDonald as vice-president (Alexander MacDonald did not officially associated himself with this new venture until 1918). By 1923, the company had eleven wholesale distribution centres throughout Western Canada, three factories and packing plants (mainly imported teas and coffees) and was considered the largest company of its kind in Canada. In 1928, D.C. MacDonald died (Alexander MacDonald was pre-deceased by all four of his sons), and soon after, MacDonalds Consolidated was sold to Safeway Canada.

6 Manitoba Free Press, November 27, 1912, p. 20. According to one website, this would translate into approximately $62.5 million in 2014 currency.

7 Manitoba Free Press, August 2, 1918, p. 14, August 24, 1918, p. 14 and November 24, 1944, p. 16. Controlling interest in Western Grocers Limited was purchased by George Weston Limited (Loblaw’s), in 1944.

8 Henderson’s Directory, 1910-1940.

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warehouse. The company was founded in Winnipeg 1932 by H. Hartford Perry of Selkirk, MB

and grew to have branches in Toronto, ON and Vancouver, B.C. by the 1950s.9 On February 23,

1945, the western portion of the Market Avenue building collapsed, sending bricks, stone and the

company’s stock, including sacks of seed wheat, barrels of herring and Government of Canada

canned meat, into the back lane (Plate 7).10 The collapse of the warehouse, as well as a second

one at nearly the same time, raised concerns and calls for changes in City by-laws to increase

inspections of warehouse floors.11

In July of 1946, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Canada published a “WANTED”

advertisement for warehouse and office space in the city (Plate 8) and by 1947 had moved into a

new building on the site of the old A. MacDonald Company Warehouse at 133 Market Avenue.

STYLE

The 1946 warehouse is a very simple, unadorned design, a modest example of modern

architecture with its lack of ornamentation, severe angular features and flat roofline (Plate 9). It

is a transitional building in terms of style – gone is the historical elements and ornamentation of

the early buildings but not yet embracing the lightness of the modern buildings through their use

of curtain walls and large expanses of windows.

CONSTRUCTION

Plans for the 1946 building describe a two-storey warehouse (although a third storey was added

on later plans) that was a complete rebuild of the collapsed 1910 structure except for the stone

foundation (61.0 centimetres wide)12 and the ground floor of the west wall (Plate 10). The

building measures 15.3 metres wide by 30.3 metres long (see Appendix I for more technical

9 Winnipeg Free Press, August 31, 1957, p. 43. 10 Winnipeg Free Press, February 24, 1945, p. 1. 11 Winnipeg Free Press, March 8, 1945, p. 3. 12 City of Winnipeg, Building Permit, #1365/1910.

4

information).13 The brick walls of the upper floors are 43.2 centimetres thick on the first and

second floors and 33.0 centimetres on the third floor.14 Reinforced concrete is used for internal

support and flooring throughout. The front façade is clad in stucco.

DESIGN

The completed warehouse features a front (south) façade with an entrance at its west end. The

narrow single doorway is matched by narrow window openings on either side and on the upper

two floors (Plates 11 and 12). A bracketed hood had been added after 1994 (Plate 13) but was

removed during the 2011 renovations. The main façade is divided into three bays by unadorned

attached pilasters that end slightly above the flat roofline. The centre and east bays both hold a

pair of raised basement window openings (originally filled with glass block), large main floor

openings (originally partially filled with glass block) and large upper storey window openings

(Plate 14).

The west wall is covered by the neighbouring structure; the brick east wall featured unmatched

window openings on all floors and a raised loading door at its north end covered by a metal

awning (Plate 15) and accessed by moveable loading platform (Plate 16). The rear (north)

façade was designed with windows on all levels and a small entrance at the west end (Plate 17).

Today, windows have been replaced and/or covered on all three of the main façades as part of

the buildings conversion into residential space (Plates 18 and 19). A patio has also been added to

the east side of the building.

13 City of Winnipeg Assessment Record, Roll No. 700260-12-2, PC 50. 14 “Architect’s Plans” #4453/1946.

5

INTERIOR

As originally designed, the interior was open warehouse space on all upper floors, the ground floor

included washrooms, a counter and a private office (Plate 20). Stairs were located at the northwest

and southwest corners and the elevator in the northeast corner.

Today, the building has been converted into luxury condominiums known as “The Loft.” The

basement includes mechanical rooms and several locker rooms for tenants and there are 15 suites on

the upper three floors (Plates 21-23).

INTEGRITY

The building stands on its original site and appears to be in good structural condition. Significant

exterior and interior alterations were completed in 2014 to convert the warehouse into residential

suites.

STREETSCAPE

The block has been a part of a downtown streetscape for nearly 50 years although its scale and

design do not necessarily match the neighbouring warehouses (Plates 24 and 25). It is located

within Winnipeg’s Exchange District National Historic Site. All buildings in this district are an

essential part of the historic streetscape and as such, the Historical Buildings and Resources

Committee has given them 60 points.

ARCHITECT/CONTRACTORS

W. Ewart Fitz Munn (Plate 26) designed this warehouse in 1946. Born in Brighton, England in

1885, Munn received his training there and then articled for four years with H.W. Sanders,

architect and surveyor.15 He arrived in Winnipeg in 1911 and associated himself with architect

H.E. Matthews assisting in the design of St. Matthews Anglican Church, 641 St. Matthews

15 “Munn, W.E. Fitz,” file of the Manitoba Association of Architects.

6

Avenue (1912), the Farmers’ Advocate Building, Notre Dame Avenue (1912), Minto Armouries,

969 St. Matthews Avenue (1914), McGregor Armouries, 551 Machray Avenue (1914) and Spiers-

Parnell stable, 666 Elgin Avenue (1919).

In 1924 he joined the firm Jordan and Over and when Lewis H. Jordan returned to the United States

the following year, the firm continued as Over and Munn16 until Over’s death in 1944.17 Munn then

worked as an architect with the Dominion Department of Public Works as well as continuing his

private practice.18 The pair designed several buildings, including:19 L.D. Heaton house, 30 West

Gate (1927); St. Boniface Hospital Nurses’ Residence, 431 Taché Avenue (1928); Fort Francis

Hospital; River Elm (Riverwood) School, 500 Riverton Avenue (1930); Bank of Nova Scotia, 254

Portage Avenue, west addition (1931); Winnipeg Beach Hotel (1936); William Grey House, Oak

Street (1937); Rockwood Hotel, Stonewall, MB (1938 renovations of Canadian Pacific Railway

hotel); Dauphin Herald Printing Offices, Dauphin, MB (1940 addition); and La Verendrye Hospital,

Fort Frances, ON (1941).

During his years alone, Munn was responsible for several buildings: Fort Frances School addition,

Fort Frances, ON (1946); Norberry School addition, St. Mary’s Road (1947); Tilston School,

Tilston, MB (1947); Tec Voc School, 1555 Wall Street (1947); Glenlawn Collegiate, 770 St.

Mary’s Road (1949); Portage la Prairie School, Portage la Prairie, MB (1949); and Marion School,

614 Des Meurons Street (1949).

From 1951-1954, Munn was part of Smith Munn Carter Katelnikoff, an extremely successful

local firm that had formed in 1947 and designed many fine structures in the city and region.

During his tenure, the firm designed Grey Street United Church, 651 Sandhurst Avenue (1951),

Animal Housing at the Winnipeg Zoo (1952), Rainbow Stage, Kildonan Park (1952), Archwood

School, 800 Archibald Street (1952), West Part School addition, Neepawa, MB (1953), National

16 Loc. cit. 17 Winnipeg Free Press, April 11, 1944, p. 7. 18 Henderson's Directory, 1920-1960. 19 Newspapers, various years; files of the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee.

7

Gallery, Ottawa, ON (one of three finalists, 1953), Winkler School, Winkler, MB (1953), George

A. Fitton School, 1129 3rd Street, Brandon, MB (1954) and “Trend House,” 762 South Drive

(1954).20

Munn was also associated with the Manitoba Association of Architects, acting as its secretary

from its inception in 1914 until the 1950s.21 He died in Winnipeg on December 28, 1968.22 He

has not been evaluated by the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee.

PERSON/INSTITUTION

This building was owned by its builder, local contractor Wilbert Guy “Bert” Malcom23 (1895-

1980), from 1948 to 1955.24 Malcom was the fourth generation president (1936-1974) of

Malcom Construction Company, which had been founded as Malcom Brothers in 1900. The

general contracting firm included brothers David (1871-1935), John (1866-?) and William M.

(1864-?).25 The three had begun a brickyard in their hometown of Owen Sound, Ontario along with

two other brothers in the 1880s but the three moved to Winnipeg in 1892. Working as stonemasons

and bricklayers, the three ultimately formed the contracting firm that would become the Malcom

Construction Company. The firm was responsible for many fine Winnipeg structures as well as

completing contracts in rural Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and Western Canada. In 1907,

William withdrew from the company26 and returned to Owen Sound, and by 1918, when Malcom

Construction Company Limited was incorporated, David was the principal participant. After his

death in 1935, the firm was operated by his son, Bert Malcom until his retirement in 1974. Bert

20 Winnipeg Free Press, various dates. 21 Winnipeg Free Press, February 5, 1952, p. 10. 22 Winnipeg Free Press, January 1, 1969, p. 30. 23 There is considerable use of the incorrect spelling “Malcolm” in reference to this family, including Canada

Census records of the early 20th century. 24 City of Winnipeg Assessment Roll, 13- 070026000 (below as ARo), 1940-1960. 25 R.R. Rostecki, “Salvation Army Men’s Social Service Centre – 175-81 Logan Avenue,” report for the City

of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, March 1991; and Canada Census, 1901, 1906 & 1911. 26 Winnipeg Free Press, June 22, 1907, p. 2.

8

Malcom also served as president of the Winnipeg Builders Exchange in 1951 and national

president of the Canadian Construction Association in 1955.27

The building was sold in 1956 to Joseph “Joe” (1903-1995) and Clara Erlichman.28 Joe

Erlichman was born in Russia and trained as a pharmacist. He emigrated to Canada and

Winnipeg in 1924 and founded Winnipeg Photo Limited in 1929. The company grew to be an

industry leader from its headquarters at 133 Market Avenue, before moving into a larger facility

in Inkster Park in the 1967.29

Other tenants of the building have included the Cosy Restaurant (1979) and Rubenstein Brothers

(Western), sewing machines (1979-1989).30

This building, and several other nearby warehouses, was bought by the Peter Nygård International

Partnership in 2005 with ambitious plans for an $80-million “fashion village” that sought to create a

mixed retail/residential space that included a covered atrium (Plate 27).31 The scheme was

abandoned in 2007.

In 2011, the building was redeveloped by Streetside Development Corporation (part of the Qualico

Group of Companies) into 15 condominium suites, part of a multi-building development knows as

District Condominiums.

EVENT

The back lane to the north of this building, which is actually Elgin Avenue, originally stretched

from Main Street south of Bertha Street and onto what is today Waterfront Drive but was originally

the right-of-way of the Winnipeg Transfer Railway. A spur line ran up the middle of this stretch of 27 Winnipeg Free Press, September 13, 1980, p. 112. 28 ARo, 1950-1960. 29 Winnipeg Free Press, June 7, 1967, p. 26 and September 13, 1995, p. 31. 30 Henderson’s Directory, 1950-1990. 31 Nygård International Partnership, online, http://corporate.nygard.com, 2005.

9

Elgin Avenue allowing for the loading and unloading of goods to the warehouses on both James

Avenue and Market Avenue (Plate 28).

It was also the location of one of the most important events of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.

It became known as “Hell’s Alley,” the site of a violent clash between strikers and mounted North

West Mounted Police Officers that ended in the deaths of two strikers, 27 injuries and 94 arrests on

June 21st, “Black Saturday.” The Strike Committee called an end to the strike only days later.

CONTEXT

The warehouse was constructed at the end of World War II, prior to the significant economic

expansion of the 1950s and 1960s. It is evidence, however, of the continued importance of

Winnipeg as a regional headquarters and the need for modern warehouse space in the city’s

traditional wholesale district.

LANDMARK

This structure is built at the east end of Market Avenue and would be familiar in the context of the

area.

APPENDIX I

CITY OF WINNIPEG - Preliminary Report

Assessment Record

Building Address: 133 Market Avenue Building Name: Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Warehouse Original Use: warehouse Current Use: vacant Roll No. (Old): 700260 (11203) Municipality: 12 Ward: 2 Property or Occupancy Code: 50 Legal Description: 7/9 St. John, Plan 33296, Lot 5 Location: north side between Louise & Bertha streets Date of Construction: 1946 Storeys: 3 Construction Type: Brick & reinforced concrete HERITAGE STATUS: ON NOMINATED LIST Building Permits (Plans available: [CS] City Storage): - 1365/1910 $25,000 (original); 4453/1946 $40,000 (warehouse); 8070/1964 [CS] $1,560 (alterations); 2674/1970 $3,000 (1st floor office); 8511/1986 $20,000 (alteration); 152489/2000 $40,000 (interior alterations to basement); 174029/2001 $1,000 (east side patio); 118188/2011 $2,000,000 (interior and exterior alterations to create 15 residential suites) Information: - 50 x 99½ x 48½+ = 237,674 cu. ft. - Front – stucco - Basement walls – reinforced concrete (1945) - 1945 – Building collapsed – rebuilt 1946. Basement walls & west wall all remain - Feb 1948 – All completed, rented by Firestone Rubber – 10 year lease. New good building, part basement walls used in new construction - 1961 – Building sold – many interior alterations. Insulation on 3rd floor. “This is a good building.” - Permit 8070/1964 – Small portion of roof raised, mezzanine added - Permit 2674/1970 – Restaurant moved from 1st floor to basement - 1978 – Building in good physical condition - 1990 – Converted to gas boiler – N.A.V. - 1992 – Building presently occupied - 1996 – Building for sale or lease. Basement used for storage, - Main floor – offices. Building in “fair to average condition”. ARCHITECT: W.E. FITZ MUNN CONTRACTOR: MALCOM CONSTRUCTION CO.

99.5’

50’

N

---MARKET AVENUE---

133 MARKET AVENUE – FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY WAREHOUSE

Plate 1 – Portion of J.D. Parr’s Map of what would become downtown Winnipeg and the

Warehouse District, 1874. Note the extensive surveying of lots on both sides of Main Street north of Brown’s Creek (arrow) and the lack of surveying to the south and the creeks running into the Red River including Brown’s Creek (south) and Logan’s Creek (north) (City of Winnipeg.)


Plate 2 – City of Winnipeg Fire Atlas, Overview Map, 1906-1914. The completed Winnipeg

Transfer Railway and its many north-south spur lines into the warehouse district runs from Water Avenue to Point Douglas Avenue (arrows). (City of Winnipeg.)


Plate 3 – West side of Main Street between York and St. Mary streets, 1892. Buildings on the

left (west side) from south to north are: Dominion Lands Office; Trust and Loan Co. of Canada; Winnipeg Hotel; Dominion Hotel; MacDonald Block (arrow); and the Fortune Block. (Archives of Manitoba, Victor Acker Collection- 2, N842.)


Plate 4 – Former A. MacDonald Company Warehouse, 116-120 Market Avenue (arrow), 1969.

(Courtesy of the Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey.)


Plate 5 – A. MacDonald Company Warehouse, 127 Market Avenue, architect’s plans, “Front

Elevation,” #1365/1910. Architect was C.L. Jones, contractor was Saul and Irish. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)


Plate 6 – A. MacDonald Company Warehouse, 127 Market Avenue, architect’s plans, “Rear

Elevation,” #1365/1910. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)


Plate 7 – Rear (north) view of the partially collapsed warehouse at 133 Market Avenue, 1945.

According to the report, a portion of the warehouse stood standing but was “leaning out dangerously.” (Reproduced from the Winnipeg Free Press, February 24, 1945, p. 1.)


Plate 8 – Advertisement for warehouse and office space by the Firestone Tire and Rubber

Company, 1945. (Reproduced from the Winnipeg Free Press, July 4, 1946, p. 16.)


Plate 9 – Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, architect’s plans, “Front Elevation,” #4453/1946,

showing the original two-storey design and a different west (left) bay. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)


Plate 10 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, architect’s

plans, “First Floor,” #4453/1946. Note the west (left side) “Existing Wall” as part of the construction. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)


Plate 11 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, front (south)

and east façades, 1994. This view shows the original, unadorned entrance and older fenestration. (City of Winnipeg.)


façade, 2014. (M. Peterson, 2014.)


Plate 13 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, door hood,

2005. (M. Peterson, 2005.)





Plate 15 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, east façade,

2003. (M. Peterson, 2003.)


Plate 16 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, east side

loading door and platform, 2003. (M. Peterson, 2003.)


Plate 17 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, rear (north) and

east façades, 2005. (M. Peterson, 2005.)

Plate 18 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, east façade,

2014. (M. Peterson, 2014.)


Plate 19 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, rear (north)



Plate 20 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Warehouse, 133 Market Avenue, architect’s

plans, “Ground Floor,” #4453/1946. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)


Plate 21 – “The Loft”, 133 Market Avenue, no date. (Reproduced from website

www.133market.com/ no date.)







Plate 24 – Looking east along Market Avenue from Lily Street, 1962. (City of Winnipeg.)

Plate 25 – Looking west along Market Avenue, 2014. (M. Peterson, 2014.)


Plate 26 – W. Ewart Fitz Munn (1885-1968), 1957. (Reproduced from the Winnipeg Free Press,

October 1, 1957, p. 18.)


Plate 27 – Artist’s rendition of Nygård Village with the atrium over what was the back lane

(Elgin Avenue) between the buildings on the north side of Market Avenue and the south side of James Avenue, 2005. (Reproduced from Nygård International Partnership, online, http://corporate.nygard.com/scf/News.aspx?id=305, 2005.)

http://corporate.nygard.com/scf/News.aspx?id=305


Plate 28 –Fire Atlas of the City of Winnipeg, December 1917, Vol. II, Sheets 207 and 209.

Elgin Avenue is at arrows. (City of Winnipeg Archives.)

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