The first functioning brick yard at Emerson was established in 1878, by Peter Phillippe, and he named his company the Emerson Brick Yard. Phillippe had a brick machine brought in from London, Ontario and his plant produced a fair, cream-coloured brick. In 1879, the yard supplied brick for the Hudson’s Bay Company department store in Winnipeg. Phillippe disposed of his brick yard in 1881 to John Bryce. Bryce brought a new brick machine to the yard and, by 1882, he had taken a partner in by the name of Sweet. They supplied brick for the construction of a home on the corner of Fifth Street and Assiniboine Avenue in Winnipeg, which cost $4,000 to build, and also the brick veneer for the residence of M. W. Pruyn of West Lynne. The facility disappeared from the historical record by 1883.
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Bryce (1852-1884)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bryce House (99 Assiniboine Street, Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin)
Manitoba Brick Yards by Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch Report, May 2010.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 14 April 2022
Manitoba Bricks and Blocks
A history of the manufacture of bricks and concrete blocks in Manitoba, based on research by Randy Rostecki for the Manitoba Historic Resources Branch and supplemented by information compiled by Gordon Goldsborough of the Manitoba Historical Society. .
Bricks | Blocks | People | Glossary
We thank Hugh Arklie, Gordon McDiarmid, and Heather Bertnick for their help in the development of this online guide. Financial support of the Thomas Sill Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. Additional information was provided by Ina Bramadat, David Butterfield, Neil Christoffersen, Frank Korvemaker, Ed Ledohowski, Ken Storie, Lynette Stow, and Tracey Winthrop-Meyers.
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Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, Gordon Goldsborough, and Manitoba Historical Society.
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