Historic Sites of Manitoba: Stobart Building / Bedford Building (281 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg)

This brick and stone warehouse on McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg was designed by local architect James Henry Cadham and built in 1903 by Philip Burnett and Christopher Hickey Simpson for the wholesale dry goods firm of Stobart and Sons, organized in 1899 by Frederick William Stobart.

Initially five storeys, in 1907 two additional floors designed by Cadham were added to the building by Malcom Construction at a cost of about $23,000. Renamed the Bedford Building in the 1930s, the company closed in the 1940s, since which the building has been occupied by a number of small businesses. It is a municipally-designated historic site.

Stobart Building (circa 1903) Source: An Illustrated Souvenir of Winnipeg, William A. Martel & Sons, 1903. Bedford Building (April 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89750, W97.14163 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Cadham (1850-1907)

Memorable Manitobans: Philip Burnett (1848-1936)

Memorable Manitobans: Christopher Hickey “Chris” Simpson (1861-1928)

Memorable Manitobans: Frederick William Stobart (1859-1935)

Manitoba Business: Malcom Construction

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 34/1903, City of Winnipeg Archives.

Bedford Building (281 McDermot Avenue), Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, September 1986.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 November 2023

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