The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum occupies a renovated industrial structure that was built in three sections. The earliest, northwestern section was designed by local architect Charles H. Wheeler and built in 1884 by Kelly Brothers for wholesale merchants James Robertson and Company. Originally two storeys at 148-150 Alexander Avenue, the block had retail shops on the ground floor and warehouse space on the second floor. It was leased by the wholesale hardware firm of George D. Wood and Company, vacating it in 1898 following the completion of its large, new warehouse at 250 McDermot Avenue.
The space was then occupied by the bag-making company of Dick and Ridout, later renamed John Dick Limited, which was bought in 1906 by the Smart Bag Company of Montreal. Later that year, the new owner built a three-storey addition, designed by architect Daniel Smith, on the south end of the original structure (149 Pacific Avenue).
In 1913, the Smart Bag Company merged with Woods Manufacturing Company to form Smart-Woods Limited (returning to Woods Manufacturing Company Limited in 1918). The firm built a five-storey factory on the east side of the original building (145 Pacific Avenue), designed by the architectural firm of Woodman and Carey, of distinctive red bricks made at the Sidney Brickworks.
The oldest part of the complex was occupied by the wholesale stationary firm of McAllister Company in 1920, with the Globelite Battery Company in 1906 section. Other occupants through the years included the Woods-Dryden Paper Bags Limited (1950s-1970s), Woods Bag and Canvas Company (1960s-1970s), and Lloyd Bag Company (1970s-1980s). In the 1980s, the Prosperity Knitwear Limited and Modern Headwear Limited were the main tenants. After these companies vacated, the building stood nearly empty for a time, then was renovated for the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. It is now a municipally-designated historic site.
The two oldest portions of the building (1884, 1906) have been demolished and replaced in 2016 by a new structure connected to the remaining portion (1913).
Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (October 2014)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (October 2019)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90032, W97.13451
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Henry Wheeler (1838-1917)
Manitoba Business: Kelly Brothers / Manitoba Construction Company / Kelly Brothers and Mitchell / Thomas Kelly and Sons
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Memorable Manitobans: George Duncan Wood (1858-1907)
Smart Bag Company Building (George Duncan Wood & Company Warehouse), 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, December 2008.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 June 2024
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