This Winnipeg-based construction firm was founded in 1881 by brother Thomas Kelly, Michael Kelly, and Martin Kelly. It was responsible for building many buildings, bridges, and other structures around the city. From 1900 to 1905, they undertook the initial construction work on the St. Andrews Locks. They constructed the substructures of several bridges across the Red and Assiniboine Rivers and completed two of the more difficult contracts on the Shoal Lake Aqueduct: the crossing of the Red River from Tache to Pacific Avenue, and the crossing of the Brokenhead River and slough.
They built several public schools around the city, including the first Normal School at the corner of Kate Street and William Avenue. They put down the first block paving in Winnipeg. When asphalt became popular as a paving material, they constructed the first plant and paved the first asphalted street in Winnipeg, McDermot Avenue.
In 1903, the firm merged with several other companies to form the Manitoba Construction Company with Thomas Kelly as President and General Manager and George Andrews Mitchell as Secretary-Treasurer. After two years this firm became Kelly Brothers and Mitchell Limited with Thomas Kelly as President and Manager. In 1908, he formed the firm of Thomas Kelly and Sons Limited.
Some of the Manitoba buildings that the firm constructed:
Building
Location
Year
Status
Deaf and Dumb Institute (addition)
Portage Avenue, Winnipeg
1900
Demolished (?)
216-220 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg
1900
Winnipeg Electric Street Railway Powerhouse (addition)
Assiniboine Avenue between Main and Garry, Winnipeg
1900
Demolished (?)
Gregg Warehouse
Albert Street between McDermot and Notre Dame, Winnipeg
1902
Edmonton Street, Winnipeg
1902-1903
Demolished (1969)
92-100 Princess Street, Winnipeg
1903
289 Chambers Street, Winnipeg
1903
Greenshields Warehouse
Arthur Street between McDermot and Notre Dame, Winnipeg
1903
MacNab and Roberts Warehouse
118-122 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg
1903
Demolished (?)
151 Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg
1903
Destroyed by fire (2004)
St. Mary Avenue, Winnipeg
1903
Demolished (1971)
Vulcan Iron Works (addition)
105 Maple Street North / 120-150 Sutherland Avenue, Winnipeg
1903
Destroyed by arson fire (4 July 2023)
Winnipeg General Hospital (addition)
Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg
1903
Demolished (?)
Graham Avenue, Winnipeg
1903-1904
Demolished (April 1930)
433 Broadway, Winnipeg
1903-1904
844-852 Main Street, Winnipeg
1904
181 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg
1904-1905
245 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg
1906
43-49 Westbrook Street, Winnipeg
1906
Demolished (1993)
167 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg
1906-1908
441 Main Street, Winnipeg
1906-1908
254 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg
1908-1910
Lockport, RM of St. Andrews
1908-1910
388 Donald Street, Winnipeg
1910
Red River, Winnipeg
1910-1911
22 Granite Way, Winnipeg
1912-1913
960 Wolseley Avenue
1912-1913
450 Broadway, Winnipeg
1912-1915
55 Princess Street, Winnipeg
1919-1920
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Martin Kelly (1852-1925)
Memorable Manitobans: Michael Kelly (1844-1923)
Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Kelly (1855-1939)
Memorable Manitobans: George Andrews Mitchell (1857-1909)
“The Manitoba Construction Company,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 December 1903, page 20.
We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 18 April 2024