This Winnipeg building on Princess Street, backing onto the Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 1 on King Street, was commissioned in 1919 by the municipal City Light & Power Department and designed by local architectural firm of James Chisholm & Son. It was built by the firm of Thomas Kelly & Sons with subtrades including the Dominion Bridge Company Limited (structural steel), R. Y. Kilbert & Co (terra cotta), Truss Concrete Steel Company of Canada Limited (steel sashes), Hooper’s Marble & Granite Company Limited (marble and tile), Acme Sash & Door Company (interior woodwork), Taylor Painting & Decorating Company (painting, glass), and the Canadian Steel Metal Roofing Company (roofing & sheet metal). Intended to be ready by spring 1920, occupation was delayed until the fall. The ground floor, comprising around 6,600 square feet, featured showcases for an array of electrical appliances and wall trimmings finished in oak. The second floor was used for general office space. The building was completed at a cost of around $100,000.
The facade was unveiled publicly on 16 July 1920 and the showroom opened to the public in mid-August. The facility was opened officially with a public reception and gala on 5 October 1920, attended by Mayor Charles Frederick Gray, Winnipeg Hydro Electric Company Manager John Girdlestone Glassco, city councilors, and hydro officials.
In 1935, the showroom moved to renovated space in the Boyd Building but the building remained occupied by Winnipeg Hydro into the late 1950s and later by the Signals Branch of the City of Winnipeg into the late 1970s. From the early 1980s to around 2016, it was used by the vice squad of the Winnipeg Police Service, after which the building has been mostly vacant, used occasionally for film and video projects. The interior is extensively modified from its original configuration but terrazzo floors on the main floor remain visible.
It became a municipally-designated historic building in 2019.
Sketch of the Light & Power Department showrooms (1920)
Source: “City Light builds new show rooms,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 February 1920, page 2.
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (no date)
Source: Manitoba Hydro
Interior of Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (no date)
Source: Manitoba Hydro
Interior of Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (no date)
Source: Manitoba Hydro
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (October 2016)
Source: Eric De Schepper
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (October 2016)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (October 2016)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (December 2023)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Former appliance showroom converted to vehicle maintenance garage (December 2023)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Terrazzo floor in the former appliance showroom (December 2023)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Hallway-flushing toilet from the former interrogation area (December 2023)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89708, W97.14307
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James Chisholm (1841-1920)
Manitoba Business: Kelly Brothers / Manitoba Construction Company / Kelly Brothers and Mitchell / Thomas Kelly and Sons
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Pointe du Bois Generating Station (Pointe du Bois, Whiteshell Provincial Park)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Pointe du Bois Staff House (Pointe du Bois, Whiteshell Provincial Park)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Pointe du Bois Stone House (Pointe du Bois, Whiteshell Provincial Park)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Slave Falls Generating Station (Winnipeg River, Whiteshell Provincial Park)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Rover Avenue Electric Terminal (199 Annabella Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro Showroom (55 Princess Street / 54 King Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 1 (54 King Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 2 (300 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: May Street Substation / Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 3 (541 Waterfront Drive, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 4 (811 St. Matthews Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 5 (Scotland Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Hydro War Memorial (Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Boyd Building (384-392 Portage Avenue / 270 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 892/1919, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“[Photo caption] City Light builds new show rooms,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 February 1920, page 2.
“Employes [sic] of Light Dept. in new offices,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 July 1920, page 5.
“I saw it in the Tribune [The wooden protection across],” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 July 1920, page 6.
“Now open,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 August 1920, page 8.
“Speakers name Winnipeg of electric world,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 October 1920, page 5.
“You are invited to attend a public reception,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 October 1920, page 8.
“Nearly 50-fold increase in appliance business a reason for new $100,000 show room,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 October 1920, page 27.
Winnipeg Hydro Show Room (55 Princess Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, 2004.
We thank Bruce Owen (Manitoba Hydro) for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer, Gordon Goldsborough and Eric De Schepper.
Page revised: 2 June 2024
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