North West Commercial Travellers’ Association Building (291 Garry Street, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Photos & Coordinates | Sources

A two-storey brick and terra cotta building on Garry Street in Winnipeg, measuring 26 feet by 65 feet, was designed by owner Andrew F. Thomas. It was built in 1908 by contractor J. McLeod as a one-storey structure, at a cost of about $5,000, for use as a café.

Unsatisfied with the building, Thomas hired local architect John Danley Atchison to design a second storey as well as a one-storey brick addition, measuring 16 feet by 26 feet, to the rear of the building. The work was done built by contractor McLeod at a cost of about $5,000.

In 1914, the building was renamed to the Inglis Building after it was purchased by the tailoring firm of R. J. Inglis Company who hired Montreal-based architects George A. Ross and David H. MacFarlane to design alterations to the front facade and interior of the building. The work was supervised by local architect Herbert Bell Rugh and completed at a cost of about $10,000. In 1916, Atchison was once again called on to design a mezzanine floor along with a two-storey brick addition, measuring 26 feet by 40 feet, to the rear of the building. It was built by the construction firm of Hazelton & Walin at a cost of about $6,000.

Inglis left the site in 1924 after which the building was vacant until 1932 when it was rented by the Army and Navy Veterans Unit #60 who used it as a meeting hall until 1945. At that time, the building was purchased by the North West Commercial Travellers’ Association, at a cost of about $25,000, and converted into offices and a meeting hall. The Army and Navy Veterans (later renamed the Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans; ANAF) relocated the following year to the Henderson Directories Building when it purchased that building at a cost of about $40,000.

Subsequent main floor tenants of this building included the Monarch Life Assurance Company, Fidelity Trust, and A & M Furniture Rental and Sales.

The building is a municipally-designated historic site. In 2018, an exterior renovation project received a Conservation Award from Heritage Winnipeg.

Photos & Coordinates

Army Navy and Air Force Veterans Building (1932)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 16 September 1932, page 11.

Inglis Building (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Inglis Building commemorative plaque (September 2014)
Source: George Penner

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89381, W97.14048
denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1073/1908, City of Winnipeg Archives.

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1521/1908, City of Winnipeg Archives.

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 84/1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 852/1916, City of Winnipeg Archives.

“Fort Garry Branch, Army and Navy Veterans in new home,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 September 1932, page 11.

North West Commercial Travellers' Association Building (291 Garry Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, March 2002.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 29 March 2024

Historic Sites of Manitoba

This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.

SEARCH the collection

Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other

Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.

Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.

Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.

Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ

Help us keep history alive!