This two-storey brick and stone building on Royal Road South in Portage la Prairie, measuring 40 by 80 feet, was designed by provincial architect Samuel Hooper and built between 1909 and 1910 to house circuitry for local telephone service of the Manitoba Government Telephones (later Manitoba Telephone System). The main floor was occupied by the commercial and plant departments and the second flood had the rack room, operating room, and operators' retiring room. The basement had the boiler room, battery room, power room, and a large work room.
Additions to the building in 1953 and 1959 were designed by in-house architect Robert Bryan Ross.
Manitoba Telephone System Building at Portage la Prairie (no date)
Source: The Telephone Echo, Volume 1, Number 2, page 6, July 1921.
Portage la Prairie Telephone Exchange Building (June 2017)
Source: George Penner
Portage la Prairie Telephone Exchange Building (June 2022)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97235, W98.28993
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Hooper (1851-1911)
Memorable Manitobans: Robert Bryan Ross (1908-1983)
MHS Centennial Business: Manitoba Government Telephones / Manitoba Telephone System / MTS Allstream / Bell MTS
“Indications are good,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 May 1909, page 2.
“Tenders for the erection of Manitoba Government Telephones Building at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 June 1909, page 10.
“Portage la Prairie Exchange,” The Telephone Echo, Volume 1, Number 2, July 1921, page 6.
Portage la Prairie, 1870-1970: A History of Portage la Prairie and Surrounding District by Anne M. Collier, page 267.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 October 2023
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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