Historical Winnipeg discussion - Page 85

1ajs · #**1681** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 2:00 AM**

the odd fellows hall is still standing and the hall it self is still intact thrown some crazy parties in there
its interesting to see the globes were allready missing from the facia then witch one still survives in the atic
and can see the roof vents way up on the roof as well

Andy6 · #**1682** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 3:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1ajs

the odd fellows hall is still standing and the hall it self is still intact thrown some crazy parties in there
its interesting to see the globes were allready missing from the facia then witch one still survives in the atic
and can see the roof vents way up on the roof as well

I hadn't noticed this until now, but the photographer appears to have captured an electric streetcar in operation at the Portage-Notre Dame intersection. If it is indeed an electric streetcar, I'm wondering if this would be one of the oldest surviving images of such a car in operation. Electrification of the streetcar lines appears to have begun in around 1892-93. Previously they were horse-drawn.

esquire · #**1683** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 4:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkspec

something i did not know:
From the 1930s to the 1950s the Blue Bombers played at the Osborne Stadium located west of the Legislature Building where the Great West Life building now sits.

It's interesting to see how far back the Winnipeg habit of building undersized and somewhat shoddy sports venues stretches. While other cities were building proper stadiums like Varsity in Toronto or Molson in Montreal (to say nothing of the epic American college football stadiums which existed by the 30s), Winnipeg crammed its football and baseball teams into a tiny frankenstein of a ballpark which by all appearances served neither sport very well.

Andy6 · #**1684** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 5:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

It's interesting to see how far back the Winnipeg habit of building undersized and somewhat shoddy sports venues stretches. While other cities were building proper stadiums like Varsity in Toronto or Molson in Montreal (to say nothing of the epic American college football stadiums which existed by the 30s), Winnipeg crammed its football and baseball teams into a tiny frankenstein of a ballpark which by all appearances served neither sport very well.

Early on, there were substantial baseball parks at the Exhibition Grounds and Happyland (and another smaller ground at River Park). It may have been that football was a pretty small-time (and very Eastern) collegiate sport of limited appeal until the late 40s and Indian Jack Jacobs came along (or at least Fritz Hanson in the 30s). In any case, the Osborne Street area was the Polo Park of its day for sports, with Shea's Amphitheatre, the Granite Curling Club and the Stadium almost side by side.

BrentMoore · #**1685** Posted **Dec 9, 2015, 8:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BubberMiley

Cool tourism video.
City of Rivers (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGJzUNjJmk

Thanks for posting this. Those are some great shots inside Eaton's and window shopping on Portage Avenue. Broadway sure hasn't changed much though.

Cyro · #**1686** Posted **Dec 10, 2015, 7:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrentMoore

Those are some great shots inside Eaton's and window shopping on Portage Avenue. Broadway sure hasn't changed much though.

It does take you back to a different time.

I had the same thoughts when seeing the Broadway footage. Some distinct changes with the buildings but the wide tree lined boulevard gives you a, "I just drove by yesterday feel to it".

Welcome to the forum...

LilZebra · #**1687** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 7:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BubberMiley

Cool tourism video.
City of Rivers (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGJzUNjJmk

Beat me to it. Saw the link from the Manitoba Historical Soc. on Facebook.

esquire · #**1688** Posted **Dec 21, 2015, 10:07 PM**

I'm not sure if anyone else will be interested in these, but here are a couple of freight sheds from the former CN Winnipeg Yards (now The Forks). I remember seeing these sheds as a kid back in the 80s... these photos are probably the first up-close views I've seen of them since before they were demolished!

These buildings stood roughly where the big gravel parking lot used for baseball games is now. The pics were taken in 1980, and I'm not sure exactly when they were demolished but I'd guess it was perhaps around 1986-87 or thereabouts.

Source: railpixs.com

trueviking · #**1689** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 3:55 AM**

I wish they had kept those. Very cool.

Can see here where they were.

dennis · #**1690** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 4:09 AM**

The railways sure played a bigger role back then. I still remember many of the lanes in the exchange district having tracks. In a way I miss that.

esquire · #**1691** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 4:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis

The railways sure played a bigger role back then. I still remember many of the lanes in the exchange district having tracks. In a way I miss that.

Yeah, I remember finding it fascinating when I was a kid. By the 80s I don't think those tracks in the Exchange were getting much use anymore, although that kind of added to the mystery of it all.

Speaking of freight sheds, I learned not that long ago that CP had a very big freight shed along Higgins just east of Salter. I think the Mini-Storage on Higgins may have been part of that complex but I'm not certain. I haven't been able to find a good close-up photo of it yet, which is not entirely surprising given that a freight shed probably wouldn't be of much interest to a photographer.

Biff · #**1692** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 2:30 PM**

That first building (angled) is a beauty. As Viking said, it really is too bad they had to for for nothing.

Andy6 · #**1693** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 3:23 PM**

There's the old Canadian Northern station along Water, next to the federal building. And a few of the houses from my 1928 photo right by the tracks on Pioneer (Notre Dame East), including the one that was Tokyo Joe's restaurant.

drew · #**1694** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 3:25 PM**

I see quite a few buildings in that picture that were lost for nothing.

Biggest losses on this picture IMO are the hotel that used to sit in the current VIA surface lot, and the big apartment block at the northwest corner of Main and Broadway (that one was a fire).

steveosnyder · #**1695** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 3:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

I see quite a few buildings in that picture that were lost for nothing.

Biggest losses on this picture IMO are the hotel that used to sit in the current VIA surface lot, and the big apartment block at the northwest corner of Main and Broadway.

Any idea what the 2 buildings on the South East corner of Lombard and Westbrook are? In the lower left of the photo across Westbrook fron the Nutty Club.

EDIT: I find it both amusing and tragic that the only 2 buildings that are still there are 149 and 151 William Stephenson. How did they survive?

esquire · #**1696** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 3:59 PM**

I can certainly understand why the freight sheds were lost to demolition... they were in rough shape by the 80s, and they were pretty far away from the main part of The Forks where the focus was on preserving the buildings that currently constitute the Market, the Johnston Terminal and the Children's Museum. That was a tall order on its own. I'm sure if they kept the sheds around, it would have literally taken to this decade to renovate them... although it's hard not to think of what they could have been... either a charming Bytown Market type complex, a museum, or perhaps a business park for startups.

The buildings on Main that drew mentioned were much more tragic and avoidable losses... the Empire Hotel and the apartments across from Union Station could have been going strong today. It's a bit sad how our literal Main Street has become dominated by surface parking lots and other such voids (Winnipeg Square mall, Upper Fort Garry Park) from the river right to Main Street.

LilZebra · #**1697** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 4:30 PM**

The loss of the Empire Hotel could have been for the York-St. Mary Underpass.

Remember, this was part of Plan Winnipeg in Norrie's day.

His fault.

TimeFadesAway · #**1698** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveosnyder

Any idea what the 2 buildings on the South East corner of Lombard and Westbrook are? In the lower left of the photo across Westbrook fron the Nutty Club.

The larger of the 2 buildings was the Codville Warehouse. Torn down in 1993. If it had lasted another 7 to 10 years, perhaps it would have been renovated as condos. Fortunately, it's being put to better use as a surface lot for about 30 cars

The link below has some more photos:
http://wbi.lib.umanitoba.ca/Winnipeg...ing.jsp?id=254

bryanscott · #**1699** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 7:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Speaking of freight sheds, I learned not that long ago that CP had a very big freight shed along Higgins just east of Salter. I think the Mini-Storage on Higgins may have been part of that complex but I'm not certain. I haven't been able to find a good close-up photo of it yet, which is not entirely surprising given that a freight shed probably wouldn't be of much interest to a photographer.

Might be a view of that from one of these:
http://winnipeglovehate.com/2014/10/...ebchuk-bridge/

esquire · #**1700** Posted **Dec 22, 2015, 8:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bryanscott

Might be a view of that from one of these:
http://winnipeglovehate.com/2014/10/...ebchuk-bridge/

Great photos!

Yes, the Mini Storage building at the bottom was part of that complex. There used to be a much larger freight shed immediately to the west, though... I'm sure it must have been an absolute beehive of activity in the days before WWII ended, and I don't think there is a trace of it left.

I did a bit of digging and this is the only picture I could find...a 1981 aerial looking west. It's the skinny and long U-shaped building in the centre-left that ends right at the old Salter Bridge (replaced by the Slaw Rebchuk in the 80s):

Source: http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.ca/2013/...ship-with.html

I have no personal recollection of this building and I'm not sure when it was torn down, although it clearly must have been some time in the 80s.

Actually, looking at this photo, it looks like there were many more multistorey buildings (I'm guessing mainly factories and warehouses) along the southern edge of the CP yards which no longer exist. Some of them are still there, but I don't think there are quite as many now.