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New Hargrave Building

361-365 Hargrave Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2002/02/05

Primary elevation, from the west, of the New Hargrave Building, Winnipeg, 2007; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2007
Primary Elevation
Contextual view, from the southwest, of the New Hargrave Building, Winnipeg, 2007; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, 2007
Contextual View
No Image

Other Name(s)

New Hargrave Building
Film Exchange Building
Former Film Exchange Building
Édifice Film Exchange
Édifice ancien Film Exchange

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1922/01/01 to 1922/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/08/09

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The New Hargrave Building, a five-storey reinforced concrete structure erected in 1922, with a one-storey annex and adjoining modern additions, is set in a mixed-use area near the northern edge of downtown Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg designation applies to the building on its footprint and the interior ramp.

Heritage Value

The New Hargrave Building (Former Film Exchange Building), a classically appointed Chicago School structure, marks the types of services developed to support the motion picture industry as it emerged as a medium of popular entertainment in the early twentieth century. The building, designed by M.Z. Blankstein, also the architect of several Winnipeg movie theatres, housed film distribution companies from which exhibitors could obtain the latest studio releases and related promotional materials. To meet its centralized distribution, storage and repair functions, the building is equipped with an enclosed ramp, providing direct vehicle access to the basement and first and second floors, and is of fireproof construction to ensure safe handling of films, which in the industry's early years were highly flammable. Now rehabilitated for office use, this structure, with its imaginative stone detailing, presents a striking visage in its downtown location.

Source: City of Winnipeg Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development Minutes, February 5, 2002

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the site character of the New Hargrave Building include:
- the Hargrave Street location, with the structure set flush to the public sidewalk and in proximity to the historic Ambassador Apartments and Calvary Temple Tower

Key exterior elements that define the building's Chicago School style and special-purpose features include:
- the main volume's rectangular five-storey massing with a flat roof, straight front and regular window arrangement
- the fireproof construction, including the reinforced concrete foundation, skeletal frame, floors and roof, and the exterior walls of hollow tile faced with brick
- the classic symmetrical composition of the three-bay primary (west) facade, including the prominent two-storey base of cut ashlar, the generally flat, dark brown brick upper section defined by shallow pilasters and banding elements, and the low ornamented parapet
- the grid-like front fenestration established through large windows in wooden frames
- the recessed main entrance set in the north bay in a stone surround with ornate brackets
- the other classical features, including the stone windowsills, pilaster bases and capitals, parapet coping and accents such as diamonds and squares, the herringbone and other patterned brickwork, etc.
- the plainly treated south and rear elevations, finished in brick between exposed members of the concrete framework, and with numerous warehouse windows with concrete sills

Key internal elements that define the building's heritage character include:
- the front lobby with a passenger elevator and a rear staircase to the upper and lower levels
- the enclosed vehicle ramp

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

City of Winnipeg

Recognition Statute

City of Winnipeg Act

Recognition Type

Winnipeg Landmark Heritage Structure

Recognition Date

2002/02/05

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Office or Office Building

Historic

Commerce / Commercial Services
Warehouse

Architect / Designer

M.Z. Blankstein

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

15-30 Fort Street Winnipeg MB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

W0208

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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