For almost 110 years the Kullberg’s Warehouse on the corner of 18th Street and Pacific Ave has stood the test of time. Now this historic building will be demolished within the next few months to make way for the new 4 lane bridge to be constructed.
According to the Manitoba Historical Society
In 1908, Brandon was selected as the Western Canadian headquarters of the International Harvester Company of America. The firm manufactured and sold agricultural equipment such as harvesting machines, tillage and seeding implements, gasoline engines, and threshers. J. F. Jones, the general manager of the Canadian division of the company visited the city in April 1910, and was quoted in the Brandon Weekly Sun as stating that “Brandon has advantages here for distributing houses possessed by no other city in Western Canada. Situated as it is in the very heart of one of the richest agricultural districts in the world and with railway connections to all parts of the west, Brandon has exceptional advantages.”
A five-storey brick building at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 18th Street was built in late 1911 by the Winnipeg-based construction firm of Carter Halls Aldinger. The company remained at the site until at least 1959. The building was later used in a succession of ways, including a wholesale distribution warehouse (circa 1959), cold storage plant (1962-1967), and goose- and duck-processing plant (1969-1980s).
In 1999, a Winnipeg development company sold the building to a local retail furniture store for use as a warehouse, after abandoning an ambitious $4-million renovation plan that would have seen the building turned into 43 upscale condominiums. The building continues to be used for furniture storage.
(Photos courtesy of Kristine Davison)
