Historic Sites of Manitoba: Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg)

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum occupies a renovated industrial structure that was built in three sections. The earliest, northwestern section was built by James Robertson and Company in 1884, on a design by local architect Charles H. Wheeler. Originally two storeys, the block had retail shops on the ground floor and warehouse space on the second floor. It was leased by the wholesale hardware firm of George D. Wood and Company, vacating it in 1898 following the completion of its large, new warehouse at 250 McDermot Avenue. The space was then occupied by the bag-making company of Dick and Ridout, later renamed John Dick Limited, which was bought in 1906 by the Smart Bag Company of Montreal. Later that year, the new owner built a three-storey addition, designed by architect Daniel Smith, on the south end of the original structure.

In 1913, the Smart Bag Company merged with Woods Manufacturing Company to form Smart-Woods Limited (returning to Woods Manufacturing Company Limited in 1918). The firm built a five-storey factory on the east side of the original building, designed by the architectural firm of Woodman and Carey, of distinctive red bricks made at the Sidney Brickworks.

The oldest part of the complex was occupied by the wholesale stationary firm of McAllister Company in 1920, with the Globelite Battery Company in 1906 section. Other occupants through the years included the Woods-Dryden Paper Bags Limited (1950s-1970s), Woods Bag and Canvas Company (1960s-1970s), and Lloyd Bag Company (1970s-1980s). In the 1980s, the Prosperity Knitwear Limited and Modern Headwear Limited were the main tenants. After these companies vacated, the building stood nearly empty for a time, then was renovated for the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. It is now a municipally-designated historic site.

Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (October 2014)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

Smart Bag Company Building / Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (October 2019)
Source: George Penner

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90032, W97.13451
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Memorable Manitobans: George Duncan Wood (1858-1907)

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

Sources:

Smart Bag Company Building (George Duncan Wood & Company Warehouse), 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, December 2008.

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 June 2022

Historic Sites of Manitoba

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