Danish immigrant Andrew Schmidt came to Winnipeg in 1881 and established A. Schmidt and Company Foundry, at the time the only brassworks between Minneapolis and the Rockies. He specialized in brass castings and fittings for industry and construction, as well as ornamental work such as wire screenings, iron crests, brass railings, and screens for local churches and commercial buildings.
The three-storey Schmidt Foundry Building was designed by local architect Samuel Hooper and built in 1901 by Davidson Brothers. The foundry occupied the basement until 1918 while the upper floors were leased to R. J. Reid and Company, a stationer, bookbinder, and importer of novelties and calendars. From 1918 to 1927, the building housed the British and Colonial Press and later the Grand Army United Veterans Association. In 1927, the Western Dry Goods Company took over the entire building, selling dry goods, china, and toys over a period of 50 years. The building was empty as of around 1978 then was occupied by a variety of businesses.
The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
Western Building (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Western Building (February 2019)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89748, W97.14037
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Hooper (1851-1911)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Havana Cigar Syndicate Block (187 Sutherland Avenue, Winnipeg)
Western Building (90 Albert Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, July 1984.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 November 2021
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