This one-storey cream brick and Tyndall stone trimmed, Edwardian Commercial-style building is on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg. Measuring 34 feet by 107 feet, it was designed by architect Charles Saunders Bridgman and built in 1912 by contractor William Horner at a cost of about $7,000, for owner Patrick O'Connell (1867-1931). It was built as a warehouse and office space, and was initially leased to the Brewers & Bottlers Supply Company Limited of Toronto, Ontario.
In the late 1920s, it became a hall for the Russian Workers'-Farmers' Organization. In the late 1930s it became occupied by the wholesale leather, shoe repair, and leatherworking supplies business of Warkov-Safeer Leathers Limited, and was subsequently renamed to the Warkov-Safeer Block. In the 1950s, it returned to use as a hall and became the Russian Canadian Federation Hall.
At the time of a 2020 and 2026 site visits, the building was heavily modified from its original appearance with a majority of its original front facade having been renovated. A "ghost sign" for Workers and Farmers Co-Operative Association (WFCA, renamed People's Co-operative in 1938) was also partially visible on the west side of the building.
Warkov-Safeer Block (1940s)
Source: Warkov-Safeer Leathers Limited
Former Brewers and Bottlers Warehouse (July 2020)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Rear of the former Brewers and Bottlers Warehouse (September 2026)
Source: Kerrin Asmundson
“Ghost sign” on the former Brewers and Bottlers Warehouse (September 2026)
Source: Kerrin AsmundsonSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91210, W97.13337
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Charles Saunders Bridgman (1876-1965)
Memorable Manitobans: William Horner (1860-1916)
Manitoba Business: Warkov-Safeer Leathers Limited
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3236/1912, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Razing the cultural level of members is urged at convention,” Manitoba Free Press, 2 October 1936, page 10.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #273 May 1956, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Communist meeting,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 January 1971, page 10.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Property Details [215 Selkirk Avenue], Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk and Kerrin Asmundson.
Page revised: 20 September 2026
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