Manitoba Cold Storage

Mission Briefings

Saying Hello

Comforting a Hurt One

Final Farewell

Galleries

     Perhaps no other building in the year of 2004 caused as much publicity as Manitoba Cold Storage did this year. The trouble began in April when two arsons occurred in one weekend, each in opposite parts of the buildings. Although the first fire was contained quickly with minimal damage the second fire destroyed the east end pre-fab metal loading docks. As the year progressed firefighters and local residents lobbied city hall to demolish the abandoned building but to no avail. It seemed that one of the largest abandoned buildings in Winnipeg was safe for the time being.

    Then on the evening of August 6 firefighters were called out to an arson and quickly extinguished the blaze. However the fire flared up around mid-night and firefighters were once again called out. I was completely unaware of the fire until the traffic reports were telling everyone to avoid Higgins as fire trucks were blocking the street. Immediately I knew what building was on fire and when I drove past it during the late afternoon plumes of billowing smoke rose out of the building.

    The fire was out of control and due to the risks of fighting a fire in the confusing layout of the building it was decided to let it burn, thus sealing the fait of the Manitoba Cold Storage Co building. Demolition contracts were awarded a few days later to Rakowski Demolition and soon enough the exterior walls of older building were ripped off allowing water to douse the still raging flames.

    As demolition continued I saw it fit to say a final goodbye and on August 22 I climbed the fence, avoided firefighters and gave my final farewells to one the fifth building I ever explored.

Reflections

    In many respects I took the Manitoba Cold Storage buildings for granted after all they were just large empty warehouses. But in looking back at all the time I spent in those buildings I now realize how unique and special it was despite its vast empty space. One of the most notable features about exploring the buildings was how quickly time passed. In the dark recesses where any light was quickly swallowed one could swear that only a half hour had passed while in reality three hours had.

   The view from the roof of the surrounding neighbourhoods and downtown was simply stunning. Often times I felt myself succumbed to simply stretch out, lay down and watch the sky transform into a blend of multiple colours.

   Then were the offices. For some odd reason the former owner left almost everything there, family pictures, company records and his flying lesson books, you name it, it was there. Then there was there were the squatter remains left in the vault which had bowling balls and a closet full of clothes. However the most inspiring and beautiful aspect of the offices occurred during evening hours. The fading sunlight and increasing street light filtered into the room casting the shadow of the Cold Storage neon sign onto the wall. This in conjunction with the street being less than 10 feet away made it all the more cherished.

    However the most cherished aspect of the building was entry; No two times were the same. Often times entry was hit and miss, one day a door would be open the next it would be sealed. With the recent arsons legal entry was out of the question and all the easy entrances were sealed. This made for rather constructive ways to get into the building, sometimes using garbage "ladders" and crawling into the building through a ceiling. Then there was the matter of the guard dogs, whom at intermittent times roamed the complete grounds of the buildings.

    All in all, it was an explorers dream building filled with many surprises and memorable experiences. Unfortunately its time came far too quickly but I am thankful that I was able to explore it as many times as I had and the fact that I was able to explore it at all.