A Good Sign for Brandon

There are a few signs in Brandon's urban landscape that one would consider 'iconic'. One would be the painted "Mackenzie Seeds" peering down over the downtown. Another might be the Fraser and Ross sign off Rosser Avenue.

As far as built signs go, there really is nothing that compares to The Strand. The former cinema on 10th Street sat empty for a number of years and was expected to be demolished until last year when Renaissance Brandon and the Brandon Folk Music and Art Festival Society teamed up to save it. (For more info see this Brandon Sun story (pdf) and the BFMAS Strand Project page).

This week, the iconic sign was removed for refurbishment and will soon be back up. itvBrandon has some pics and video here.

A little Strand trivia: Initially a theatre, it was closed in 1929 for a major refurbishment. On February 3, 1930 it re-opened as Brandon's first 'talking picture' cinema !

90 years ago - The Falcons win gold !

You may have seen the link in my sidebar but I thought it was worth posting about.

“Officer with members of the Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Team, aboard R.M.S. Grampian en route to the VII Olympiade, Belgium.” Source.

Tomorrow,April 28th, marks an important anniversary in the sporting history of Winnipeg. It's the 90th anniversary of the Falcons winning the first Olympic gold medal for hockey !

For my post about the Winnipeg Falcons and be sure to see the Winnipeg Falcons.com website !

New Life for the Old Avenue

I'm cheating again - a cross post from my Downtown Places blog about yesterday's news about the Avenue Building: Better Times for the Avenue Building.

Brandon's Sun

The Brandon Sun is unveiling a new website on Monday. I'm interested to see if it will remain holed up behind one of the most heavily guarded subscription walls a newspaper can have or if they will allow some of their content to peek into the online world !

Brandon Sun offices c.1884. Source.

The Sun is Manitoba's other 'newspaper of record'. It's roots date back to the Brandon Weekly Sun which began publishing in January 1882, before Brandon was even incorporated. (That Sun went bust in July 1897 but soon after reincarnated as The Brandon Sun).

I worked on Brandon projects for a few years and got to know the city fairly well. I always thought it was important that news and views from Brandon / Westman infiltrated the city on occasion. When I did media clippings for assorted government and political offices I made sure to include relevant Sun articles, (even back in the weird old days of needing a daily subscription then hand-cutting articles to fax to HQ !).

Though my Brandon days are done I've kept in touch with people and projects. It's been difficult, considering that the amount of Brandon on-line news content actually went in reverse for a number of years.

CKX's barely-updated website is, of course, gone. The Brandon Sun had an open website but locked it down in 2006. CBC Radio does have a beat office there but has let the position go unfilled on a couple of occasions, the last reporter to hold the spot departed in 2008.

Current on-line Brandon / Westman news sources are few. e-Brandon is really a discussion forum, though does keep a small news section for links to media releases and the like. The Wheat City Journal (now Westman Journal) is a free weekly paper similar to The Lance, though has slightly beefed up its 'newsiness' of late.

The main contenders would have to be CKLQ's news site which is brief on content, not searchable, but is daily and their recent site update allows for embedded audio clips of news stories. The other is the new kid in town itvBrandon which launched a couple of months ago and is still building up steam.

Hopefully the BSun's relaunch will take into account that the world of news and opinion plays out on-line these days. For Brandon / Westman to keep relevant and get their news and views into the mix it's important to have that information available.

I'll check back Monday morning and see what the relaunch looks like, if I'm allowed past the wall, of course !

For Sale, Sold: The April 2010 Edition

The April version of my semi-regular look at what's for sale and sold in Winnipeg.

In the West End...

There's a SOLD sign at the former Budget rental car lot at Ellice and Sherbrook, kitty corner to the West End Cultural Centre. In recent years that area has gained the Ellice Cafe and Theatre, Black Sheep Diner and an expanded WECC. I hope that whatever goes in there will build on that.

News that the vacated West End Branch Library at Ellice near Arlington was sold to the Daniel McIntyre/St. Matthews Community Association. The recently formed group had been working out of Orioles / Valour Community club.

Elsewhere Around Town:

The very cool former North West Travellers' Association building is for sale.

For just over half a mil you can pick up one of Central Park's gem houses, the c.1901 Hoover and Town duplex at 368 Edmonton.
Designated a historic building in 1984, (here's the heritage report in pdf), it's a commercial structure now and still looks as grand as it did back in the day. (Bottom photo is c 1903 from the above City of Winnipeg historic report).

Then there's the Hample "Coulda been a contender" Building at 271 Portage. It was cleaned up in the hopes that it could be sold (in the $1.5 range !) to someone willing to take it the rest of the way. In Feb 2009 the owner told the Free Press that if it didn't sell he would convert the top floors to offices and look for a main floor lease tenant. So far, neither has happened.

The Spice World on Main Street is still for sale. Not spicy enough for you ? Why not take that Main Street Strip location and toss in the consumption of alcohol ? The Sutherland Hotel, and it's waiting list of tenants, is for sale.

Here's a true signature locale: The Dynasty Building at a cool $3.1m ! It's just the office / retail, not the attached apartments.

I hope that includes that neat walking garden out front.

mrchristian's Feature Property of the Month...

This time the nod goes to the Manitoba Clothing Company - the business that nobody quite knows what it does. Is it really a department store? Do they make clothes ? Is it a design school ?!

Well, the business is a clothing manufacturer, specializing in uniforms and ladies wear. The factory is upstairs and the main floor and basement is where they sell their wares. I have to admit that I have never been in the place but might take a look in case someone buys it just for the building.

WFP October 26, 1966

This location opened in 1966 but if you purchase the business you get a piece of Winnipeg history. Without the fanfare of other century-plus businesses operating in the city, the Manitoba Clothing Company has been churning out clothing since 1877 !

The Voice, May 24 1901

Incorporated under the Manitoba Clothing Company name in 1895, it began as a retail entity but after financial trouble in 1898 they reorganized, built a new two-storey location at 560 Main then began to hire tailors, seamstresses for a manufacturing arm.

Winnipeg Tribune Aug 25, 1945

By 1909 they had numerous orders, including for the local Street Railway and fire departments, some contracts continued for decades.

Aside from a smart, 60's building you also get that nifty retro sign !

Manitoba Remembers Vimy Ridge, John Babcock

Image source: Anybody Want a Peanut

At 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917 the Canadian-led assault on Vimy Ridge began. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was wone three days later but at a terrible cost: 3,598 lives and another 7,004 wounded.

Source: Canwest

This year's anniversary will be especially meaningful. Back in February John Foster Babcock, Canada's last known World War One Veteran, died at the age of 109. For many years the Canadian Government planned to mark the passing of this final link with a state funeral. Babcock, however, declined that honour. Instead, a number of commemorative and educational events will be held across the country.

Q: Do you believe history keeps repeating itself?:
"Yes, I guess it does but hopefully one day we will get it right and not kill each other."

John Babcock

Babcock media:
Message from Queen Elizabeth on the end of an era
Statement from the Governor General gg.ca
CEF WW1 Soldier John Babcock Blog
Last Veteran of The Great War Dies CanWest (also source of image)
Obituary and video interview clip CBC.ca
Bio and interview for Veteran's Week '06 Veterans Affairs Canada.
Vimy ceremonies salute last WWI Vet - CBC


Veterans Affairs has created "End of an Era" with links to relevant World War One and Vimy information, including a photo gallery.

And now, they are gone –and all Canadians mourn our collective loss. Yet they will remain forever etched in the hearts of a grateful people and on the pages of our history as symbols of service, honour and dedication.

In our minds and in our hearts always, we will remember them.

Queen Elizabeth II, April 9, 2010

More Vimy Links:
Vimy remembered - CBC Archives
Battle of Vimy Ridge - Canada at War
Vimy Ridge Day (a personal account) - Anybody Want a Peanut

Bay Food Market Staying Put

It was announced last month that a Zellers store will open in the Bay's basement later in 2010 which has led to questions about whether the 18,000 square foot grocery store would remain. I have it on good authority that it will indeed stay and even get a makeover.

That's good news for residents as the Bay is just one of just a couple of full range grocery stores, the other being Food Fare, in the downtown.

June 16, 1890, Morning Telegraph

The Bay is Winnipeg's first downtown grocer going back to the days of Upper Fort Garry at Main and Assiniboine. When the HBC left the fort for the more modern confines of their first department store at Main and York, the grocery store was located right on the main floor.

A grocery store has been a feature in the basement of their current department store since it opened in 1926.

The food store has gone by a variety of names over the century. In the beginning, it was just the 'grocery department'. In the late1930s, the company opted for the Eaton-esque 'groceteria'. In the 1960s, it was rechristened the Food Mart, though groceteria was still widely used. By the 1990s, it was the Bay FoodMarket.

April 6, 1960, Winnipeg Tribune

Both Eaton's and the Bay once had full service meat shops at one time. In the depths of the Bay basement today you can still see the meat hooks in their old service elevator and the conveyor system still runs across the ceiling of the storage area.

In the 1960's, when it was revamped into the Food Mart, the Bay added new services such as a
50 cent delivery service and an 'exit service' where you could leave your groceries at the checkout and an attendant would meet you at the exit of the Bay parkade as you left. The latter seems to have disappeared in the 1970s, though they will still do deliveries on large orders.

In October 1999, Eaton's closed and along with it went its basement groceteria. The Bay responded in 2002 by expanding the FoodMarket by 7,000 square feet, bringing it up to 18,000 square feet. In particular, the produce department, meat department and ready-to-consume foods would benefit from the expansion.

The Bay's food services manager, Ron Bakker, was interviewed in a March 2002 Free Press article about the expansion. He said that the market had been experiencing a steady increase in sales even before Eaton's closed and "they took a dramatic jump after that".

The delivery, meat counter and some of the other features may be gone, but the Bay's grocery department will remain a part of the downtown for the foreseeable future. That and the addition of a Zellers is great news for downtown residents.

Ads from over the years:

September 30, 1907, Winnipeg Free Press

 

 August 8, 1927, Winnipeg Free Press

 

May 25, 1939, Winnipeg Tribune



June 9, 1992, Winnipeg Free Press

A Shout-Out to the HI and LO

Most will have heard about the brawl that happened outside the pub on March 29. I have to say that I feel bad for Jack Jonasson, manager of the place, and the HI Hostel folks.

I began working in the vicinity of Kennedy and Ellice six years ago and remember its predecessor, the Downtowner. Definitely a sketchy place. The vendor would open around noon which began the steady trickle of people with their King Cans in hand that came to 'party' in nearby parking lots and building entrances. A couple of hours after bar opening the cast-offs would depart the premises for a drunken, and sometimes angry, walk through the neighborhood. Paramedic trucks in the alley behind the IBM Building or lawn of the NRC complex were not an uncommon site.

I began frequenting the place when HI first took over. Despite the change in ownership and closing of the vendor, much of the sketchiness remained. The hostel folk had a decision to make to keep the place or shut it down. That's when Jonasson stepped in.

It took some time but as the 're-branding' of the exterior of the building continued and the interior of the pub received some TLC, introduced new beer brands (they even stopped selling Bud for a time !), added some art and nice music and discarded the money-making VLT's, things started to change. The management and staff worked hard to create a welcoming place for the nearby U of W crowd and local music fans.

The hostel / pub redevelopment is exactly what any downtown trying to turn around needs. Yes, the multi-million dollar mega-projects get the limelight but, in the end, it is really the collection of smaller, community establishments that will set the tone for any neighbourhood.

Of course, whenever you have alcohol, regardless of whether it is downtown or at a suburban night club, you have the potential for trouble and unfortunately LO ran into that on Monday. The rush of people to write off the area based on one incident is typical, most probably haven't set foot in the area in years, yet still disheartening.

The change to the Downtowner has been a very positive one for the area. Add to that the recent influx of Africans to the Central Park area who have created a weekend African market and the revitalization of Central Park due to be completed this summer, and the neighbourhood is a very different place than even just six years ago.

Oh, if you are part of LO's facebook page you will have received a message from Jack about his perspective of the incident and an invite to come down Thursday at 4:30 to enjoy beer and pizza (something new from the cafe kitchen). If you're a fan of the place and can make it why not head on down !