Upper Fort Garry Project Update
The "Friends of Upper Fort Garry" recognize the immense importance of this historic site (lands at 100 Main Street), which are now currently surplused and for sale by the City of Winnipeg. This site is the birthplace of Winnipeg and Manitoba and recognized as such in the EOI submission. We will continue to update this site as this project progresses. Further information is available through the office at Heritage Winnipeg or Friends of Upper Fort Garry at 204-947-5073 and www.upperfortgarry.com.
Reports for Download:
Heritage Buildings At Risk Update:
The Ryan Building - 104 King Street -
Following a fire in 1991, the boarded-up King building has been left to the elements—a classic case of demolition by neglect.
Located smack in the middle of Winnipeg's stunning Exchange District—an area declared a National Historic Site in 1997 and a location for films like the Oscar-winning “Capote”—is the four-storey 19th-century warehouse. Vacant for the past 15 years, it sits at a prominent intersection, kitty-corner to Old Market Square in the heart of the Exchange where summer festivals are held. The city of Winnipeg designated the King Building as a Grade 2 heritage structure in 1988. Its owner, Bedford Investments, appears determined to raze it for a parking lot.
Its resilience is a testament to its robust construction. Built in 1895 of brick, large timber beams, and Tyndall stone, the King Building was one of the first Winnipeg warehouses built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, a Chicago-derived style that reflected Winnipeg's desire to become the “Chicago of the North.”
The warehouse is being watched by Heritage Winnipeg, and the city enforces some basic protection using the “Vacant and Derelict Buildings Bylaw.” A 2005 city report found the roof leaking, floors and ceilings collapsing, the fire alarm inoperable, and bricks loose on its exterior. Bedford Investments claims redevelopment of the property is not economically viable, but refuses to sell it. The owner would like to combine the King Building site with the surface parking lot it owns next door, possibly to erect a parkade.
(Information Courtesy of)
Heritage Canada website at www.heritagecanada.org - Top Ten list of endangered places in Canada
Currently CentreVenture Development Corporation is working with the City of Winnipeg to stabilize the building and the cost will be put on the owner's (Bedord Investments) tax bill.
