This site in Winnipeg, on the east side of Main Street at the corner of Lombard Avenue, was formerly occupied by the Inter-Ocean Hotel. That building was demolished in mid-1913 to allow expansion of the neighbouring Merchants Bank Building, built in 1902. The seven-storey brick structure provided space for a range of commercial and professional offices. In late 1923, following the 1921 merger of the Merchants Bank of Canada with the Bank of Montreal, it was renamed the Lombard Building.
In July 1946, the Wheat Pools of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta purchased the Lombard Building, moving from a smaller building at 423 Main Street, and renamed it the Wheat Pool Building. In early 1965, they sold it to James Richardson & Sons and, in June 1966, moved into three floors in the Royal Bank Building at the corner of Portage Avenue and Fort Street. The former Wheat Pool Building was demolished and the present Richardson Building was constructed in its place.
Merchants Bank Building (c1910)
Source: Winnipeg Illustrated, Peels Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta
Lombard Building (circa 1914)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2016-0008
Lombard Building (no date)
Source: Photo Collection, Manitoba Pool Elevators Fonds, S. J. McKee ArchivesSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89616, W97.13823
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Merchants Bank of Canada
Manitoba Business: Manitoba Pool Elevators
MHS Centennial Business: James Richardson & Sons Limited
“Several large permits issued,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 June 1913, page 1.
“Dominion buys city building for Wheat Pool,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 July 1946, page 10.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 May 2021
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