Construction of this Winnipeg building began in 1909 as a venture between Meyer Chechik, Solomon Gold, and James Kernehan when they established the Winnipeg Cold Storage Company on Jarvis Avenue adjacent to the Canadian Pacific Railway railyards.
Initially, they commissioned Chechik's brother-in-law, local architect Max Zev Blankstein, to design the first of many additions that would make up the complex. Built by day labour in 1909, a more significant cold storage building designed by Blankstein, measuring 49 feet by 60 feet, was built in 1910 at a cost of about $20,000.
The building was expanded many times through the 1910s and 1920s, including an addition measuring 27 feet by 48 feet in 1911 costing about $5,000, an additional in 1915 for about $4,000, an addition in 1916 for about $3,000, a 34 feet by 56 feet addition in 1924 for about $6,000, a three-storey addition measuring 150 feet by 60 feet in 1928 (built by the firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger) at a cost of about $160,000, and a 68 feet by 148 feet addition in 1929 for a cost of about $25,000.
Further additions continued through the 1930s. In 1933, Chechik, Gold, and Kernehan received $37,000 in damages from the City of Winnipeg in compensation for property destruction incurred during the building of a new Salter Street bridge the preceding year. In 1935, an addition was added to the building by Carter-Halls-Aldinger at a cost of about $35,000. Futher work was done at a cost of about $2,000. In 1937, a addition was designed by the architectural firm of Northwood and Chivers and built by Carter-Halls-Aldinger at a cost of about $300,000, along with other additions and alterations done at a cost of about $8,000. In 1938, a one-story addition was built by Carter-Halls-Aldinger at a cost of about $7,000.
A final addition that brought the building to its present configuration occurred in 1940. It was a five-storey addition constructed for about $100,000, along with another addition built for about $75,000.
Winnipeg Cold Storage Building (December 2021)
Source: George Penner
Winnipeg Cold Storage Building (January 2023)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91069, W97.14525
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Max Zev Blankstein (1874-1931)
Manitoba Business: Northwood and Chivers / Northwood Chivers and Casey
Manitoba Business: Carter-Halls-Aldinger / Commonwealth Construction Company
Memorable Manitobans: Meyer Chechik (1876-1947)
Memorable Manitobans: Solomon Gold (1882-1938)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2443/1909, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 175/1910, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“New Companies,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 November 1910. Page 3.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 2258/1911, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 230/1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3569/1928, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Cold storage firm adding to plant here,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 August 1928, page 18.
“No large permits issued this week but six more buildings will be started,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 September 1929. Page 27.
“Approve whole city paying for work on Arterial highway,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 July 1935, page 3.
“Value of building in Winnipeg this year $2,405,000,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 August 1935, page 15.
“Advance of two millions in 1935 building figures,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 September 1935, page 18.
“Building permits near million dollars in value,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 July 1937, page 15.
“Building booming,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 July 1937, page 13.
“Two Million Dollar Mark Building Permits Pass,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 November 1937, page 12.
“Fifteen New Homes Started Boost Permits to $330,850,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 July 1938, page 2.
“Modern Cold Storage Building Going Up at Salter'and Jarvis,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 August 1940, page 14.
“Home Building in Winnipeg More Active Than in Decade,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 October 1940, page 14.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 17 November 2023
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