The Massey Manufacturing Company, established in Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1847, opened a branch office in Winnipeg in 1881, and built its own warehouse and office in 1885. The four-storey Massey Building was designed by local architect George Creeford Browne. In 1891, Massey joined with another prominent manufacturer of agricultural implements to form the Massey-Harris Company.
With growth in its business, the firm needed more space so, in 1904, it commissioned Frank Peters to design a plain, four-storey brick warehouse adjacent to the 1885 building, more than doubling the total floor space. Massey-Harris assembled and sold equipment from this location until 1944 when it moved to space elsewhere. The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
Massey-Harris Warehouse (circa 1903)
Source: An Illustrated Souvenir of Winnipeg, William A. Martel & Sons, 1903.
Massey-Harris Warehouse (December 2018)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89944, W97.14110
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: George Creeford Browne (1852-1919)
Manitoba Business: Massey-Harris Company Limited
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Massey Building (294 William Avenue), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, April 1983.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and George Penner.
Page revised: 9 December 2024
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