On November 26th, 2024, the Exchange District BIZ held its Annual General Meeting in the Royal Albert Arms Hotel at 48 Albert Street. Heritage Winnipeg’s Executive Director, Cindy Tugwell, and staff attend the event in the historic hotel. As a stakeholder and partner of the BIZ, Heritage Winnipeg is grateful for their ongoing commitment to caring for the Exchange District National Historic Site. The BIZ continues to nurture a safe, positive and supportive community of local businesses and organizations while keeping the neighbourhood’s arts, culture and built heritage in focus. We were pleased to have the opportunity to hear City of Winnipeg Mayor, Scott Gillingham, speak about the importance of this valuable historic district, reinforcing the importance of our work in advocating for and celebrating this area. It was also gratifying to see both Doors Open Winnipeg and Historic Places Days featured in the BIZ’s Annual Report, highlighting the importance of our heritage focused events and our partnership with the organization.

The Exchange District BIZ is a member-based business improvement zone comprised of nearly 500 businesses. The organization is “dedicated to enhancing, advocating for, and promoting the neighbourhood in partnership with community groups, arts organizations, the City of Winnipeg and other key stakeholders.” Established in 1989, members of the BIZ annually vote to elect a board and approve the budget. The BIZ then works to better the neighbourhood through general maintenance, beautification, lobbying, monitoring, a safety patrol, walking tours and other community actives. The BIZ’s Annual General Meeting serves as an opportunity for members and the wider community to gather and share, both looking back and looking ahead. The 2024 event also featured a question and answer session with City of Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham and BIZ Board Chair Mary Agnes Welch.

The Exchange District, an area located just north of Winnipeg’s heart at Portage Avenue and Main Street, is 20 city blocks of warehouses from the turn of the 20th century. Built at a time when Winnipeg was one of the fastest growing cities in North America, the warehouses were part of the booming wholesale trade that supplied people moving to western Canada. In addition, the area was also home to the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange, the namesake of the area, which was a leader in the international grain markets in the early 1900s. The economic prosperity of the Exchange District attracted other industries, including banking, publishing and entertainment, adding to the architectural grandeur. Winnipeg’s early prosperity was halted due to the start of the First World War and the opening of the Panama Canal, which consequently left the buildings of the Exchange District frozen in time, underused and too costly to replace. In the 1970s, citizens rallied to have the area protected and celebrated, recognizing its outstanding heritage value. The result was the Exchange District being revitalized as a vibrant neighbourhood known for its flourishing arts community. In 1997, it was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada by the Government of Canada for its historical significance and outstanding collection of pre-1913 architecture.

The Royal Albert Arms Hotel in Winnipeg’s Exchange District was built in 1913, right at the end of the city’s period of relentless growth. The small establishment with 53 rooms, bar, café, barber shop and more was spread across four floors and a basement. Designed by architect E.D. McGuire for J. Patrick Grogan and Angelo Ferrari, the hotel’s design drew inspiration from the Spanish Colonial Revival and Italianate styles with a red tile roof, ornate wrought iron work and a facade of brick and stone. With a curve in the facade to accommodate the bend in the street, the modest “European plan” hotel was intended to serve travelers visiting the Exchange District for business. The building has opened and closed many times in its history, given a protective municipal heritage designation in 1981 and had a large glass addition to the front, which now dominates the facade. Royal Albert Arms Hotel is known as an iconic music venue in Winnipeg that launched the careers of countless performers, and continues to operate as such to this day.

Featured Image: The Royal Albert Arms Hotel at 48 Albert Street (cropped) in May 2012 by AJ Batac (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)