Garry Telephone Exchange Building

Garry Telephone Exchange Building is a Manitoba Heritage Council commemoration in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Manitoba · 474 Hargrave Street, Winnipeg · location approximate

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Until l906, many small, competing telephone companies provided unreliable service to Manitobans. Recognizing the growing importance of communications, the Conservative government of Sir Rodmond Roblin created Manitoba Government Telephones as the first provincially owned telephone system in Canada. Creation of this public utility marked a significant step in the emergence of a mixed public and private economy in Manitoba. This building, designed by Provincial Architect Samuel Hooper, was begun in l907 and was the first exchange erected by the new company. It served as headquarters and as a visual symbol of the Manitoba Telephone System until l932, when head office demands outgrew the building. Following the construction of new headquarters on Portage Avenue East, the "Garry" continued to function as one of the main downtown exchanges. Declared surplus in l952, the "Garry" was converted into a garment factory two years later. During l986-87, this building was converted to cooperative housing.

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Jusqu’en 1906, de nombreuses petites compagnies de téléphone se faisaient concurrence et offraient un service incertain aux Manitobains. Le gouvernement conservateur de Sir Rodmond Roblin, qui reconnaissait l’importance croissante des communications, a donc créé la Manitoba Government Telephones, premier système téléphonique provincial public au Canada. La création de ce service public a marqué la naissance d’une économie combinée publique et privée au Manitoba. Cet édifice, conçu par l’architecte de la province Samuel Hooper, a été entrepris en 1907 et représentait le premier central construit pour la nouvelle compagnie. Il a abrité le siège social de la compagnie et a représenté le symbole de la Manitoba Telephone System jusqu’en 1932, moment auquel les besoins administratifs ont dépassé la capacité de l’immeuble. Après la construction du nouveau siège social sur l’avenue Portage Est, le « Garry » est resté l’un des principaux centrals du centre-ville. Le « Garry » a été déclaré édifice en surplus en 1952 et converti en fabrique de vêtements deux ans plus tard. En 1986 et 1987, l’édifice a été transformé en coopérative d’habitation.

This is the Manitoba Heritage Council’s text as the Historic Resources Branch publishes it. The Branch calls these plaque inscriptions and says they reflect the time they were written; TreeAlive has not compared them with the plaques themselves, so a plaque may read differently. The Branch’s plaque list ↗

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Plaque text and location: Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques, Historic Resources Branch, Government of Manitoba, as the Branch publishes them on its plaque pages. The text is the Manitoba Heritage Council’s text as the Branch publishes it; the pin on this page is ours, worked out from the location the Branch gives and marked approximate. Contains information from the Government of Manitoba, licensed under the OpenMB Information and Data Use License (Manitoba.ca/OpenMB)
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Garry Telephone Exchange Building

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