'Should be a concern': The Boyd Building put on the endangered list

A Winnipeg building is on the endangered list.

A Winnipeg building is on the endangered list.

What used to be a lively downtown hub for medical care is now sitting empty, and heritage advocates say the time is now to get the ball rolling to secure the Boyd Building's future.

For 112 years the Boyd Building at 384 Portage Avenue has been a cornerstone of Winnipeg’s downtown.

It was one of the province's first skyscrapers, built by a renowned architect. It housed dentists and doctors, yet it was first owned by candy maker W. J. Boyd.

"I think anybody who drives down Portage after hearing this story should look at it and think, ‘Wow, what a beautiful building. I drive by every day and may not even notice,’" Cindy Tugwell, the executive director for Heritage Winnipeg, said Friday.

The Chicago-style, nine-storey, steel-frame building went up in 1912.

To protect its intricate terracotta facade, the city gave the building heritage status in 1981.