Winnipeg - Exchange District

Turn-of-the-century Victorian and Edwardian commercial architecture is most in evidence in the vicinity of the old market place neighboring the present Civic Center in Winnipeg. This area is known as the Exchange District, its name a reflection of the many financial and commodity dealing houses which sprang up in Winnipeg between the 1880s and 1920s when the city was the undisputed center of expansion in western Canada.

Thanks to the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade, the Stock Exchange, and the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange, vast quantities of goods and money changed hands in the town.

More recently the Exchange District has seen a revival of its earlier role as the hub of local commerce, with old warehouses, bank and business premises being converted into fashion boutiques, up-market shops, art galleries, bureau and restaurants.

The Exchange District is also a focus for the city's cultural life with an impressive selection of venues including the Pantages Playhouse Theatre, the Manitoba Theatre Center, the Prairie Theatre Exchange, the Manitoba Centennial Center, the MTC Warehouse Theatre and the Artspace. Shoppers too will find plenty to interest them (fashions, art and furniture).