This one-storey brick building off Main Street in Winnipeg, behind the Hudson’s Bay Company Mail Order and Catalogue Building, measuring 45 feet by 90 feet, was designed by local architect John Woodman. It was built in 1906 as a powerhouse for the Hudson’s Bay Company to supply heat and electricity to its various buildings in the vicinity.
Originally featuring a 70-foot chimney and three boilers (two producing 75 horsepower and one 125 horsepower), it supplied electrical power to the various buildings by above ground wires. Steam heat was fed by underground conduits 20 feet underground measuring 7 feet high by 6 feet wide. The entire facility was built, including machinery, at a cost of about $50,000.
At the time of a 2025 site visit, the building was in relatively good condition but the 70-foot tall chimney had been removed.
Fire insurance map showing the Hudson’s Bay Company Powerhouse in lower left corner (May 1914)
Source: Winnipeg Fire Insurance Map #2, August 1906 Revised May 1914, Library and Archives Canada
The former Hudson’s Bay Company Powerhouse (April 2025)
Source: Jordan MakichukSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88941, W97.13619
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: John Woodman (1861-1944)
MHS Centennial Business: Hudson’s Bay Company
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Reserve (Assiniboine Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Building (450 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Garage (115 Garry Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Powerhouse (160 Main Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Mail Order and Catalogue Building (111-117 Fort Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Wholesale Building / Gibraltar House (77 Main Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Northland Theatre / Hudson’s Bay Company Building (123 Main Street, Flin Flon)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Steam Engine (Elphinstone, RM of Yellowhead)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Store / Seven Sisters Post Office / Seven Sisters Falls School No. 2218 (Seven Sisters Falls, RM of Whitemouth)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hudson’s Bay Company Cemetery (Norway House, Northern Manitoba)
The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 17, 28 March 1906, page 4.
“Hudson’s Bay Power House,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 38.
Winnipeg Fire Insurance Map #2, August 1906 Revised May 1914, Library and Archives Canada
160 Main Street, Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation.
This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 10 April 2025
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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