Historic Sites of Manitoba: Macdonald Building (344 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg)

This four-storey, structural steel and concrete building at the northwest corner of Edmonton Street and Ellice Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 82 feet by 234 feet, was designed by the local architectural firm of Smith Carter Searle and Associates with supervision by architect Harry Cornish Tod. It was built between 1960 and 1961 by North American Buildings Limited at a cost of about $1,538,000. Named for politician and magistrate Hugh John Macdonald, it initially provided accommodation for three entities of the federal government: the Unemployment Insurance Corporation, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Manitoba regional offices for Family Allowance and Old Age Security.

Macdonald Building (April 2022) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89428, W97.14871 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Smith Carter and Katelnikoff / Smith Carter Architects and Engineers / Architecture49

Manitoba Business: North American Lumber and Supply Company / Citizens Lumber Company / North American Buildings Limited / North American Lumber

Memorable Manitobans: Hugh John Macdonald (1850-1929)

Sources:

“$1½ million building on Ellice Ave.,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 1960, page 4.

“New city UIC building named for Hugh John,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 November 1961, page 13.

This page was prepared by George Penner and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 14 February 2025

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