Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fairchild Warehouse / John Deere Plow Warehouse (255 Sutherland Avenue, Winnipeg)

This five-storey brick warehouse at the northeast corner of Sutherland Avenue and Derby Street in Winnipeg, measuring 70 feet by 150 feet, was designed by local architect Samuel Frank Peters and built in 1902 as a three-storey structure by contractor Philip Burnett. It was occupied by the Fairchild Company, under proprietor Frank Alanson Fairchild, that sold equipment from such firms as the John Deere Plow Company, an American manufacturer of agricultural implements.

In 1906, a two-storey addition was designed by local architect James Henry Cadham and built by contractor John Alexander Girvin at a cost of about $40,000. In the fall of 1907, the Fairchild Company was sold to the John Deere Plow Company.

In 1919, a new loading platform, measuring 24 feet by 30 feet, was built by contractor Arthur John Bonnett at a cost of about $4,500. The building was later occupied by the Midwest Storage Company.

Fairchild Warehouse

Fairchild Warehouse (1906)
Source: Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 25.

The former John Deere Plow Building

The former John Deere Plow Building (May 2018)
Source: Kerrin Asmundson

The former John Deere Plow Building

The former John Deere Plow Building (January 2023)
Source: Jordan Makichuk

The former John Deere Plow Building

The former John Deere Plow Building (March 2024)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90761, W97.13691
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Samuel Frank Peters (1847-1926)

Memorable Manitobans: Philip Burnett (1848-1936)

Memorable Manitobans: Frank Alanson Fairchild (1849-1898)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fairchild Building / Sterling Cloak Building (110-120 Princess Street, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Cadham (1850-1907)

Memorable Manitobans: John Alexander Girvin (1851-1931)

Memorable Manitobans: Arthur John Bonnett (1874-1942)

Sources:

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 343/1902, City of Winnipeg Archives.

The Canadian Contract Record, Volume 13, 5 March 1902, page 2.

“The new Fairchild warehouse,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 November 1902, page 8.

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1580/1906, City of Winnipeg Archives.

“Wholesale houses make big showing,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 December 1906, page 25.

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1230/1919, City of Winnipeg Archives.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Gordon Goldsborough for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Kerrin Asmundson and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 6 March 2024

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