Formerly located at the southwest corner of Fort Street and Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, a one-storey red brick and Tyndall Stone trimmed building, and underground space measured 16 feet by 46 feet. It was designed for the City of Winnipeg by local architect William Bruce and built in 1914 by the construction firm of Hazelton and Walin at a cost of about $10,000.
It was built as a public washroom for men, consisting of a small brick building on street level that lead underground to the toilet facilities. The station was closed and demolished in 1949. The station was closed and demolished in 1949 and a new structure for women and men replaced it on Garry Street in 1950. No vestige of it remains on the site today.
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89473, W97.13980
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: William Bruce (1852-?)
Manitoba Business: Hazelton and Walin [Hazleton and Walin]
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Comfort Station (Garry Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Comfort Station (Logan Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Comfort Station (Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg)
“Comfort station,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 March 1914, page 1.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1849/1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.
City of Winnipeg Council Meeting Minutes, 1914, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Comfort station construction set,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 April 1949, page 3.
“Comfort station a ‘hidden rose’ – Ald. Black angry,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 April 1950, page 3.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #106 December 1955, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Garry Street washrooms shutdown endorsed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 February 1979, page 5.
“New public washroom on Main Street hearkens back to Winnipeg's history of 'comfort stations'”, CBC News, 28 December 2021.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 2 September 2026
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