Princess

Winnipeg’s Exchange District has many underutilized old warehouse buildings.  This one on Princess Street looked to add a vibrant new retail furniture store to the mix.  The building was in disrepair and unoccupied – even the once elaborate brick cornice had crumbled away, but the overall structure was salvageable.  The ground floor could easily accommodate retail space with its big windows and street presence.  A large contrasting signage piece at the street corner would broadcast that change had come, and that shoppers were welcome to drop in.  The upper floors have been reimagined as residential studios, working around the existing heavy masonry bearing walls.  New exterior balconies link to a translucent unheated stair tower at the rear of the site.