Manitoba Business: Dominion Bridge Company

This Montreal-based firm, which had operated a steel fabricating plant in Winnipeg since 1906, declared bankruptcy in September 1998 and its assets were eventually sold.

Chief Engineers (Western Division)

Period	Chief Engineer
1930-1956	Harry Manning White (1888-1969)

Some Manitoba structures constructed using its steel products:

Structure	Location	Built	Status
Kennedy Block	315-323 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1906	Partly destroyed by fire (1973)
Bon Accord Block	635-645 Main Street / 185 Logan Avenue, Winnipeg	1906-1907
Maw Garage	111 Princess Street, Winnipeg	1906-1907
Osler Hammond and Nanton Building	201-203 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1906-1907	Demolished (1989)
Walker Theatre	364 Smith Street, Winnipeg	1906-1907
St. Boniface Cathedral	190 Avenue de la Cathedrale, Winnipeg	1906-1908
Redwood Steel Through Truss Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1907-1908
Union Railway Station	123 Main Street, Winnipeg	1908-1911
McArthur Building	205-211 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1909-1910	Demolished (1988)
Canadian National Railway Main Line Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1910-1911
Boyd Building	384-392 Portage Avenue / 270 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg	1911-1912
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Port Nelson, Northern Manitoba	1912-1917
Winnipeg Electric Railway Building	213-219 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1912-1913
CPR Bergen Cutoff Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1913
Provencher Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1914-1918	Demolished (2001)
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Lee River, RM of Lac du Bonnet	1915	Demolished (?)
Winnipeg Hydro Showroom	55 Princess Street, Winnipeg	1919
St. James Steel Pony Truss Bridge	Birdtail Creek, Municipality of Prairie View	1923
Steel Through Truss Bridge No. 730	Assiniboine River, RM of Wallace-Woodworth	1926
Bryce Bakery Building	320-340 Burnell Street, Winnipeg	1929-1930	Demolished (?)
Slave Falls Generating Station	Winnipeg River, Whiteshell Provincial Park	1929-1931
Main Street Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1930-1931	Demolished (1999)
Manitoba Telephone System Building	166 Portage Avenue East, Winnipeg	1930-1932
Norwood Bridge	Red River, Winnipeg	1930-1931	Demolished (1999)
Steel Beam Bridge	Winnipeg River, RM of Lac du Bonnet	1930-1931
Christie Brown Building	1147-1155 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg	1931-1932
Salter Street Bridge	Salter Street, Winnipeg	1931-1932	Demolished (1984)
Winnipeg Auditorium	200 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg	1931-1932
Salter Street Bridge	Salter Street, Winnipeg	1934	Demolished (1984)
Bryce Bakery Building (addition)	320-340 Burnell Street, Winnipeg	1934	Demolished (?)
Bryce Bakery Building (addition)	320-340 Burnell Street, Winnipeg	1935	Demolished (?)
Dominion Post Office Building	187 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg	1935
St. James Bridge	Assiniboine River, Winnipeg	1935-1936
Selkirk Lift Bridge	Red River, Selkirk	1935-1936
Winnipeg Electric Company Harrow Substation (addition)	680 Harrow Street, Winnipeg	1937
Mayfair Hotel	2 Saskatchewan Avenue East, Portage la Prairie	1937-1938	Destroyed by fire (1980)
Osborne Barracks (repairs)	Tuxedo Boulevard, Winnipeg	1938	Demolished (?)
Trans-Canada Airways Hangar	Richardson International Airport, Winnipeg	1939	Demolished (?)
Manitoba Sugar Company Plant	555 Hervo Street, Winnipeg	1939-1940
Safeway Store	376 Salter Street, Winnipeg	1939-1940
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Assiniboine River, Municipality of Riverdale	1946
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Qu’Appelle River, RM of Ellice-Archie	1948
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Bowsman River, Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman	1948
Baie St. Paul Steel Through Truss Bridge	Assiniboine River, RM of St. Francois Xavier	1948
Technical Vocational High School	1555 Wall Street, Winnipeg	1951
Winnipeg Arena	1430 Maroons Road, Winnipeg	1954-1955	Demolished (2006)
Midtown Bridge	Donald Street, Winnipeg	1954-1955
Scott Fruit Warehouse	1200 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg	1955
St. Boniface General Hospital (addition)	409 avenue Taché, Winnipeg	1955
Winnipeg Post Office	245 Smith Street, Winnipeg	1958
Misericordia General Hospital (Cornish Wing)	20 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg	1957
Richardson Building	1 Lombard Place, Winnipeg	1966-1969
Army Navy and Air Force Veterans Building (addition)	279-281 Garry Street, Winnipeg	1972-1973
Steel Pony Truss Bridge	Shell River, Municipality of Roblin	?
Steel Pony Truss Bridge	Turtle River, Municipality of Ste. Rose	?
Steel Through Truss Bridge	Whitemouth River, RM of Whitemouth	?

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Dominion Bridge Plant (1500 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg)

Manitoba Business: Manitoba Bridge and Iron Works / Manitoba Bridge and Engineering Works

Sources:

“Structures under construction using Dominion Bridge Company steel exclusively,” Winnipeg Telegram, 18 September 1906, page 20.

“Superstructure tender passed,” Winnipeg Telegram, 11 December 1906, page 8.

“Making progress; steel work of new joint terminal will soon be commenced,” Winnipeg Tribune, 15 October 1908, page 4.

“Steel business in Western Canada,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 June 1909, page 19.

“Building notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 November 1909, page 16.

“The Red River bridge,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 February 1910, page 1.

“Contract for new bridges,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 April 1910, page 10.

“Build fine bridges,” Manitoba Free Press, 5 July 1910, page 20.

“Contract let for steel for Slave Falls,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 June 1929, page 9.

“Excavating is started for new bakery,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 August 1929, page 14.

“Permits for week number fifty-three,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 August 1929, page 24.

“Building permits in Winnipeg $1,000,000 ahead of last year,” Manitoba Free Press, 7 September 1929, page 34.

“Announcement - Bryce Bakeries Limited announces the completion of their new bakery building at 320 Burnell Street,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 May 1930, page 7.

“Bryce Bakeries Limited open new quarter million dollar plant,” Manitoba Free Press, 5 May 1930, page 10.

“Sub-contracts awarded for new factory,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 May 1931, page 6.

“Progress on Winnipeg’s largest 1931 building project,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 June 1931, page 25.

“Two bridges soon ready for city traffic,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 September 1931, page 3.

“Steel contract for Salter St. Viaduct is let,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 October 1931, page 10.

“Dominion Bridge is awarded contract,” Manitoba Free Press, 20 October 1931, page 8.

“Christie, Brown & Co. Ltd., the builders,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 February 1932, page 24.

“New Salter Street bridge marks important step in crosstown route progess,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 October 1932, page 4.

“Building notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 October 1934, page 4.

“Big improvement in construction during the week,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 October 1934, page 30.

“Building notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 September 1935, page 9.

“Building notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 October 1935, page 4.

“Sub-trades to tender on hotel at Portage,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 September 1937, page 7.

“Portage Hotel,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 October 1937, page 7.

“New Mayfair hotel in Portage la Prairie is one of the finest in the west,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 March 1938, page 4.

“Permits for $225,000 hotel and more,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 September 1938, page 24.

“Construction programs under way,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 June 1939, page 30.

“Structural steel for the new Safeway stores erected by the Dominion Bridge Company,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 February 1940, page 7.

“Contract approval,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 March 1954, page 17.

“Dominion Bridge Company congratulates the St. Boniface Hospital for their latest achievement,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 1955, page 49.

“Fruit firm moves into new quarters,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 April 1955, page 10.

“Structural steel for the new wing at Misercordia Hospital was fabricated and erected by the Dominion Bridge Company,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 December 1957, page 50.

“Steelwork for new Winnipeg Post Office supplied by Dominion Bridge,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 June 1958, page 17.

“Contract for the supply and install of the reinforced steel is let to the Dominion Bridge Company,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 December 1967, page 45.

The Year Past 1981: Report of the City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, City of Winnipeg, pages 47-48.

“Dominion Bridge bankrupt,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 September 1998, page 18.

“Workers eye buying steel plant,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 September 1998, page 31.

“Dominion Bridge plant jumps back into action,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 April 1999, page 24.

“Dominion Bridge tax sale may be city’s richest,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 December 2009, page B2.

Fame Nightclub [279 Garry Street], Winnipeg Architecture Foundation.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 March 2024