A Manitoba masterpiece

Construction of the downtown Bay

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On the day the downtown Bay opened at 9 a.m. Nov. 18, 1926, it was the largest reinforced concrete building in Canada.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/02/2013 (4221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the day the downtown Bay opened at 9 a.m. Nov. 18, 1926, it was the largest reinforced concrete building in Canada.

The total budget for the store’s construction was $5,968,000.

Here’s a snapshot of what went into the six-storey construction more than a year earlier.

Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Construction of Winnipeg’s downtown Bay store begins in 1925.  The building that would open on this spot a year later could boast it was constructed entirely of Manitoba products.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba Construction of Winnipeg’s downtown Bay store begins in 1925. The building that would open on this spot a year later could boast it was constructed entirely of Manitoba products.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Visible behind the construction site are the Free Press and Boyd buildings.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba Visible behind the construction site are the Free Press and Boyd buildings.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
More than two million feet of lumber was used.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba More than two million feet of lumber was used.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
The building’s 151 foundation piles are driven down to bedrock, 52 feet below.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba The building’s 151 foundation piles are driven down to bedrock, 52 feet below.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
At the height of construction, about 1,000 workers were on the site each day.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba At the height of construction, about 1,000 workers were on the site each day.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
The construction proceeded with haste rarely seen today — it would open just a year after the ground was broken.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba The construction proceeded with haste rarely seen today — it would open just a year after the ground was broken.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Reinforcing steel used weighed in excess of 3,500 tons.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba Reinforcing steel used weighed in excess of 3,500 tons.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Stonework includes 125,000 cubic feet of cut stone (locally cut Tyndall) and 1.5 million bricks.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba Stonework includes 125,000 cubic feet of cut stone (locally cut Tyndall) and 1.5 million bricks.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba
Original plans for the building’s exterior called for terra cotta to be brought in from the United States. At the urging of local leaders, the Hudson’s Bay Company changed its plans and agreed to use $400,000 worth of locally cut Tyndall stone. The decision not only created additional jobs in Manitoba, but allowed The Bay to later advertise that the structure was constructed with 100 per cent of Manitoba products.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba Original plans for the building’s exterior called for terra cotta to be brought in from the United States. At the urging of local leaders, the Hudson’s Bay Company changed its plans and agreed to use $400,000 worth of locally cut Tyndall stone. The decision not only created additional jobs in Manitoba, but allowed The Bay to later advertise that the structure was constructed with 100 per cent of Manitoba products.
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