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Location DB > Canada > Manitoba > Winnipeg > Mitchell-Copp Building
 Name
Mitchell-Copp Building
 Viewing Options
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 Database Info
created by Curious_George on 10/28/2003 2:57 AM
last modified by 1ajs on 7/14/2012 2:51 AM
 Viewability
Publically Viewable Publically Viewable
This location has been labeled as Demolished, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
 Overview
 Description
Little is known about the interior finish of the Kennedy or Affleck Building, but upon conversion it became well-known as yet another richly furnished, comfortable and luxurious banking hall in Winnipeg. As with many other buildings in the city, the side walls did not run perpendicularly from the front façade, but, rather, at the angle of the lot on which the block sat. This was obviously of some concern to the architect and his clients at the bank, as an ingenious entrance and interior were designed to mask this fact. The centrally located entrance opened into a small corridor that led customers to their right and into a circular, oak-paneled vestibule. Being circular, the vestibule was used, in concert with the side walls, to give the illusion of perpendicularity.

These side walls were actually separate elements, the inner wall being almost a meter from the outer wall at one end of the hall and touching at the other. At the rear, a 43.2 cm. (17") brick fire wall separated the bank from storage space in the original Kennedy Building. The front section of the first floor was opened to create the high ceilings that had become the norm for banks, in this case rising to a maximum height of 12.2 m. (40'). Elsewhere, ceilings remained at their original heights.

To light the new banking hall, the architect employed the large Portage Avenue window and a semi-circular, barrel-coffered ceiling. Ornamental features included marble floors, oak counters, burlapped walls, and ornamental ceiling beams. In 1969, the new owners of the building, Mitchell-Copp Jewelers, converted the structure back into retail space. The banking hall floor was covered with indoor-outdoor carpeting, the revolving door was replaced by a plate-glass opening and, most significantly, a new 3.7 m. (12') acoustic tile ceiling was hung.
 Basic Information
Type: Building
Status: Demolished
Accessibility: Difficult
Recommendation: forget it
 Physical Information
Address

Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
Owner:
  • See a map of this location
  •  Hazards
  • asbestos
  • rust
  • unsafe flooring
  • flooding
  • water
  • air quality
  •  Interesting Features
    There's a beautiful hall in the front portion of the building that you can't access.
     Security Measures
  • Fire Escape has been cut 29 feet above ground (my rope ladder is 27 feet long and it hung two feet off the ground from the bottom rung)
  •  Historical Dates
    Built: 1909
    Closed: 1988
     Required Equipment
  • flashlight
  • rope
  • harness
  • breathing mask
  • gloves
  • head protection
  • long pants / sleeves
  • towelettes
  •  Recommended Equipment
    Life Insurance
     History
    The original Kennedy Block (its name was changed to the Affleck Block ca.1937) was numbered 315-321 Portage Avenue. Its upper floors became the business address for a variety of small real estate, broker and financial development firms. The first floor contained shoe stores, tailors and a confectionery in its nearly 70 years of existence. The building's original owner was Charles William Nassau Kennedy (1865-1920), son of Colonel W.N. Kennedy (twice mayor) and a major organizer of real estate and finance companies.

    The bank purchased the eastern section of the Kennedy Block in 1919 prior to its conversion to the bank, and became the sole occupants of the altered area for 40 years. Several fires damaged the block; the last fire on August 29, 1973 caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to the structure. The top two floors were totally destroyed, leaving a single-storey retail building that is presently numbered #319-321 Portage Avenue. The Canadian Bank of Commerce was initially incorporated as a chartered bank in Toronto in 1858.

    It was known as The Bank of Canada until 1867 when it became the Bank of Commerce. In 1961, it was renamed the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce following a merger with the Imperial Bank of Canada. The institution came to Winnipeg in 1893. Building its reputation and assets in western Canada mainly through the financing of the grain economy, the bank grew to manage nine Winnipeg branches, 73 outlets west of Manitoba, 151 throughout Canada, and additional branches in England, Alaska and the continental United States by 1906.

    The bank had deposits of $79,524,000, loans of $81,015,000 and paid-up capital of $10,000,000 by June 30, 1906. The Bank of Commerce remained as the sole tenant of this Portage Avenue address until 1959 when the building became vacant. Ten years later, the jewelry company Mitchell-Copp Limited took over the building, converting it back into retail space. This lasted until ca.1981 when the company moved to space in the Eaton Place shopping centre. Vacant until ca.1985, the building became home to Comic World for two years. It has been empty since ca.1988.

     Media Coverage

     Future Plans
    demolished in 2012 to make way for new alt hotel all that remains is the front facade
     Stories


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     Photo Galleries
    Click to view gallery
    Mission #1
    Tue, Oct 28th, 2003
    posted by Curious_George
    14 pictures
    Click to view gallery
    Not all that is gone is lost
    Tue, Aug 20th, 2013
    posted by dirtyw0rld
    11 pictures


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     Moderator Rating
    The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.

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     Validation
    This location's validation is current. It was last validated by Steed on 6/25/2014 12:03 PM.

     Latest Changes
  • on Jun 25 14 at 12:03, Steed validated this location
  • on Aug 20 13 at 7:00, dirtyw0rld updated gallery picture P1010646.JPG
  • on Aug 20 13 at 7:00, dirtyw0rld added some pictures to a gallery
  • on Aug 20 13 at 6:52, dirtyw0rld reordered images in gallery Not all that is gone is lost
  • on Aug 20 13 at 6:49, dirtyw0rld added some pictures to a gallery
  • on Aug 20 13 at 6:42, dirtyw0rld created a new gallery
  • on Jul 23 12 at 10:07, Opheliaism validated this location
  • on Jul 14 12 at 2:51, 1ajs changed the following: Status
  • on Jul 14 12 at 2:51, 1ajs changed the following: Status, Future Plans
  • on Oct 13 07 at 4:37, Emperor Wang validated this location
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