This ten-storey, steel-framed, brick and terra cotta block is representative of early high-rise building construction technology in Winnipeg. Measuring 50 feet by 90 feet by 90 feet, it was designed in the Chicago style of architecture by James Wilson Gray (1864-1922) of Toronto, assisted by Toronto-based engineers Harkness and Oxley, as an office tower for the Confederation Life Association.
It was built between late 1911 and early 1913 by the construction firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger Company at a cost of $400,000. Subcontractors included the Dominion Bridge Company (structural steel), National Fireproofing Company (fireproofing), Alsip Brick, Tile & Lumber Company Limited (bricks), Mitchell-Grey Electric Company (electrical), and the Leeds Fireclay Company (terra-cotta). In its original configuration, the building contained four retail spaces on the main floor while the upper floors contained offices.
Completed officially on 3 January 1913, the building was owned and occupied by Confederation Life for over 50 years. Its style, use, and placement within Winnipeg’s commercial core make it an enduring symbol of the city’s great economic and spatial growth in the early twentieth century. In 1939, interior alterations were designed by local architect Edgar Prain and completed by the Bird Construction Company at a cost of about $30,000.
In 1976, a plaque on the building’s exterior was installed by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. A renovation project in 2018 received a Conservation Award from Heritage Winnipeg.
Architectural plans for the tenth floor of the Confederation Life Building (1912)
Source: Contract Record and Engineering Review, 26 June 1912, page 58.
Confederation Life Building under construction (1912)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 9 November 1912, page 36.
Confederation Life Building under construction (1912)
Source: Contract Record and Engineering Review, 26 June 1912, page 58.
Confederation Life Building (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Confederation Life Building (June 2021)
Source: George Penner
Confederation Life Building (June 2024)
Source: Jordan Makichuk
Confederation Life Building commemorative plaque (September 2009)
Source: City of WinnipegSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89856, W97.13888
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Carter-Halls-Aldinger / Commonwealth Construction Company
Manitoba Business: Dominion Bridge Company
MHS Centennial Business: Alsip Brick, Tile & Lumber Company Limited / Alsip's Building Products and Services
Memorable Manitobans: Edgar Prain (1881-1958)
Manitoba Business: Bird Woodall and Simpson Construction / Bird Construction Company
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Confederation Life Warehouse (104-108 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3164/1911, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Another Main Street skyscraper,” Manitoba Free Press, 7 October 1911, page 16.
“Evidence of a Life Company’s enterprise,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 October 1911, page 31.
“To be finished December 1,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 May 1912, page 25.
“A modern office building at Winnipeg - Features of interest about the Confederation Life Building — Expeditious manner of erection - Heavy design of structural steel,” Contract Record and Engineering Review, 26 June 1912, page 58.
“Some buildings are making no progress,” Manitoba Free Press, 26 July 1912, page 14.
“Confederation Life Building,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 November 1912, page 36.
“New real estate firm for Winnipeg,” Manitoba Free Press, 14 December 1912, page 13.
Winnipeg fire insurance map, #205 December 1917, Library and Archives Canada.
City of Winnipeg Building Permit 3223/1939, City of Winnipeg Archives.
“Plan changes in buildings,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 July 1939, page 28.
“Many new building projects started,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 September 1939, page 8.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Confederation Life Building (457 Main Street), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, 1980.
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
We thank George Penner and Greg Petzold for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 23 June 2025
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