1912 – Boyd Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Boyd Building is a solid yet detailed office building on Portage Avenue near the Paris Building and former Eaton’s Department Store. At first glance, there appears to be bronze decorative panels between the paired windows although this is actually a terracotta finish. The attic storey and cornice is particularly fine.

“This building is situated on the southwest corner of Portage avenue and Edmonton street. It is a reinforced concrete structure of the Turner mushroom system of construction. The frontage on Portage Ave. is 88 feet and 130 feet on Edmonton street. There are nine storeys above ground with a sub-basement 16 feet below grade. The footings extend about 18 feet below grade.

The faces on Portage Ave. and Edmonton street are finished on the exterior for the first two storeys with ornamental iron, and above with cream-colored terra cotta supplied by the North-Western Terra Cotta Company. The other sides are faced with yellow brick.

The interior is divided into stores on the ground floor with offices above, the upper five storeys being especially fitted for doctors and dentists. These offices are all fitted up with compressed air and gas. The corridors are finished with terrazzo marble floors and marble dados. The offices are all finished in oak.

There are two high speed traction passenger elevators and one freight elevator. The whole of the building is constructed as nearly fireproof as possible, the staircases and elevators being enclosed in fireproof enclosures on all floors. The construction work was done by the National Construction Company and Mr. John D. Atchison was the architect.”
Engineering and Contract Record, January 29, 1913

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