This four-storey brick warehouse, designed by local architect James H. Cadham and built by John A. Saul, William A. Irish, James McDiarmid, and John McDiarmid, housed the Blue Ribbon Manufacturing Company, a division of the wholesale grocery business of cousins George F. Galt and John Galt. When the building opened in 1901, it extended to Arthur Street but when, in 1911, Blue Ribbon moved to larger premises at 334 McDermot Avenue, the building was divided by a brick wall and the two portions became separate properties, the other part with an address at 88 King Street. The part facing King Street housed a wholesale boot and shoe business until 1925 when Great West Electric moved in. This company closed mid-way through the Depression, leaving the building vacant until 1942. Later, a variety of businesses occupied it, including a furrier and a footwear dealer. In September 1983, it became a municipally-designated historic site.
Anne Building / Blue Ribbon Building (May 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Anne Building / Blue Ribbon Building (February 2021)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89757, W97.14143
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Cadham (1850-1907)
Manitoba Business: Saul and Irish Construction Company / W. A. Irish and Company
Memorable Manitobans: James McDiarmid (1855-1934)
Memorable Manitobans: John “Jack” McDiarmid (1862-1943)
Memorable Manitobans: George Frederick Galt (1855-1928)
Memorable Manitobans: John Galt (1856-1933)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Anne Building / Blue Ribbon Building (88 Arthur Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Blue Ribbon Warehouse (334 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Anne Building (87 King Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, February 1983.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 26 February 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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