Manitoba Business: Bird Woodall and Simpson Construction / Bird Construction Company

This Ontario-based firm was established in 1920 at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan by Hubert John Allen Bird under the name of Bird Woodall and Simpson Construction. In 1930, it was incorporated at Regina, Saskatchewan and renamed Bird Construction Company. In 1938, the company’s head office was relocated from Moose Jaw to Winnipeg.

Some of its construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
The Pas Telephone Exchange Building	154 Third Street West, The Pas	1928
Swift Meat Packing Plant	Archibald Street, Winnipeg	1937-1939	Demolished (1994)
No. 2 Equipment Depot	Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1940	Demolished (?)
No. 8 Repair Depot	Winnipeg	1940	Demolished (?)
No. 12 Service Flying Training School Hangar	300 Commonwealth Way, Brandon	1941
No. 18 Service Flying Training School	RM of Gimli	1943
Roblin Park Community Centre	640 Pepperloaf Crescent, Winnipeg	1946
Maternity Pavilion (Winnipeg General Hospital)	735 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1948
Winnipeg Technical Vocational High School	1555 Wall Street, Winnipeg	1951
Fort Garry Municipal Hall and Fire Hall	1350 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg	1954
Winnipeg Arena	1430 Maroons Road, Winnipeg	1954-1955	Demolished (2006)
Marlborough Hotel (addition)	331 Smith Street, Winnipeg	1956-1960
Downtowner Motel	330 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg	1958-1959
St. Stephen’s-Broadway United Church	396 Broadway, Winnipeg	1969-1970

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Hubert John Allen Bird (1889-1965)

Sources:

“Plans for new Swift Canadian Plant go ahead,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 September 1937, page 7.

“$162,500 award for R.C.A.F. Depot,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 March 1940, page 1.

“Repair Depot contract goes to Bird Co.,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 July 1940, page 13.

“Tech-Voc prepares youth for industry,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 May 1952, page 3.

“Arena work starts today,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 October 1954, page 33.

“Official grand opening of the Fort Garry Municipal Hall,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 November 1954, page 32.

“The new Marlborough,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 February 1960, page 5.

History, Bird Construction.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 3 August 2023