This one-storey red brick building at the southeast corner of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue in Winnipeg, measuring 52.1 feet by 58.3 feet, was designed and built by owner/contractor Alexander Pollock in 1922 at a cost of about $9,000. In its original configuration, the building contained three retail spaces, accessed from Main Street by recessed entrances with large plate glass display windows.
Original tenants included Boddis Confectioner (1403 Main Street), Henry's Barber Shop (1405 Main Street), and Forest S. Keller Hardware Store (1407 Main Street). The latter was purchased in 1927 by Alexander Pollock and renamed to Pollock Hardware Store.
By the late 1970s, tenancy in the block was becoming increasingly difficult with multiple vacancies. By 1980, the entire block was converted into a single retail space. In the fall of 2007, the business—now one the oldest independent hardware stores in the city—was unsuccessfully put up for sale and was set to close. It was purchased by a group of local residents who established Pollock's Hardware Co-operative Limited. It reopened in May 2008 and was incorporated in November 2009.
A collection of blueprints relating to construction work done by Alexander Pollock is held at the store (2025).
Architectural drawing of Pollock Block (1922)
Source: City of Winnipeg Archives
Pollock Hardware Store (December 2012)
Source: George Penner
Pollock Hardware Store (March 2017)
Source: George Penner
Aerial view of Pollock Hardware Store (September 2024)
Source: George Penner
Pollock Hardware Store (June 2025)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Rear of the Pollock Hardware Store (August 2025)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.92511, W97.12510
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Alexander Pollock (1882-1957)
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 966/1922, City of Winnipeg Archives.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
1403-1407 Main Street (Pollock's Hardware) by Murray Peterson, City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, June 2022.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 June 2025
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