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Friday 19 August 2011

West End: 'Marina' Safeway disappears; murals go up.

A Boxy, New Look

Former Safeway

It's your last chance to see what was Winnipeg's first 'Marina Style' Safeway store at Ellice and Wall. It's so named as the prototype for the design was built on Marina Boulevard in San Fransisco three years earlier. (For more on Safeway's 60's styles, including the Marina stores).

The store opened in 1964 and closed in 2008. Shortly after the retro sign was removed.

Former Safeway

Earlier this year
a developer announced that two pads out front would be developed (one is now a credit union) and that the store itself would get a multi-million dollar makeover, including the removal of the facade and roofline "So it will look like one integrated development." (in other words a rectangular box).

Old Safeway

That leaves 1441 Main Street at Polson as the last 'close to original' condition Marina style store in the city.

For more pictures of the re-development of this Marina Safeway.

Remaking a mural

Mural

The former West End Library on Ellice Avenue is now home the the Daniel Mac/ St. Matthews Community Association. The old library mural is being painted over for something depicting the programming offered by the agency.

Mural

I did suggest that they keep the giant bookworm, though !

Celebrating School Patrols

Mural

On the side of Pal's Supermarket on St. Matthews (one of Canada's original ca 1929 Safeway stores) there is a new mural.

Mural

It depicts the 75th anniversary of another piece of West End history - the school patrol ! The program began at Greenway School at St. Matthews and Burnell and within a few years went nation wide. (stay tuned, I have a post nearly ready to go on the history of patrols).

For more Winnipeg mural news see The Murals of Winnipeg.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any word on what's going on the second front pad? I think speculation was a Tim's?

Christian Cassidy said...

I haven't heard but Tims would be a good guess.

There aren't many in that area (well below the one per squar kilometre ratio !)and the big parking lot behind the pad means that they could do a drive through without the problem of cars spilling onto the street.