This ten-storey, steel-framed office block is representative of early high-rise building construction technology in Winnipeg. Designed in the Chicago style of architecture by J. Wilson Gray of Toronto, it was erected in 1912 by the Carter-Halls-Aldinger Company of Winnipeg at a cost of $400,000. The building was owned and occupied by the Confederation Life Association for over 50 years. Its style, use, and placement within Winnipeg’s commercial core make it an enduring symbol of the city’s great economic and spatial growth in the early twentieth century. This plaque was installed in 1976 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. In 2018, a renovation project received a Conservation Award from Heritage Winnipeg.
Confederation Life Building (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Confederation Life Building (June 2021)
Source: George Penner
Confederation Life Building commemorative plaque (2009)
Source: City of WinnipegSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89866, W97.13886
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Carter-Halls-Aldinger
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Confederation Life Warehouse (104-108 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Confederation Life Building (457 Main Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, 1980.
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 November 2022
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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