A three-storey brick building at the southeast corner of McDermot Avenue at Kate Street in Winnipeg, measuring 66 feet by 122 feet, was designed by local architect James Henry Cadham. It was constructed between late 1906 and early 1907 for the Western King Garment Company. Incorporated in October 1906 as a subsidiary of R. J. Whitla and Company, its purpose was to manufacture, buy, and sell all types of clothing. The initial directors of the company were merchants Dawson Kerr Elliott, R. Driscoll, Abraham Sugden Binns, John M. Campbell, Joseph Clark, James Harold Elliott, and lawyer Henry Walter Whitla. The name was later changed to the Western King Manufacturing Company.
In 1940, the building was taken over by the fur-dying business of Bliss and Cohen Limited. It is presently occupied by the Raber Glove Manufacturing Company.
Aerial view of the former Western King Garment Building (July 2024)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90095, W97.15303
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Cadham (1850-1907)
Memorable Manitobans: Robert Jones Whitla (1846-1905)
Memorable Manitobans: Dawson Kerr Elliott (1853-1946)
“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 June 1906, page 2.
“To manufacture fire brick clay,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 October 1906, page 13.
“R. J. Whitla & Co. factory,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 16.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
“These years of progress,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 July 1940, page 29.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and George Penner.
Page revised: 8 January 2025
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