Winnipeg | 300 Main St.- Phase II 360 Main St. | 465 Ft | 42F | Completed

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I remember seeing an original rendering of the tower some years ago which showed the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange logo on the short sides, and I thought it looked damn good.

As an aside, anyone else remember when the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange was still a thing? When I was a kid I used to love going downtown to the library to study or whatever, and I got a kick out of dropping by the trading floor viewing gallery around the closing bell when the traders were jumping around and shouting orders like madmen while the ticker numbers flashed. You can see the gallery behind glass to the upper left:



I presume that trading floor must have been in the windowless lower part of the tower... I wonder what's there now?

Pretty cool stuff. Didn't even know a place like that existed.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I remember seeing an original rendering of the tower some years ago which showed the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange logo on the short sides, and I thought it looked damn good.

As an aside, anyone else remember when the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange was still a thing? When I was a kid I used to love going downtown to the library to study or whatever, and I got a kick out of dropping by the trading floor viewing gallery around the closing bell when the traders were jumping around and shouting orders like madmen while the ticker numbers flashed. You can see the gallery behind glass to the upper left:

Oh yes! I was a nerdy Alex P. Keaton type kid and I was very excited to see the trading floor. It wasn't nearly as lively as what I was imagining, but it was cool to go downtown and see it in action.

While we're on the subject, was there a similar trading floor in the old Grain Exchange Building? There must have been some lively trading in the early part of the 20th century before the Wheat Board was established. I've never seen a photo of the old exchange trading floor though.

edit:

Oh, I think I found a photo:



source: http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/04/agriculturehistory.shtml

[esquire]

^ So it wasn't just me

The only time things really heated up reliably in the trading pit was in the 5 or 10 minutes from the closing bell... at least that's what my not so extensive observations led me to believe. The rest of the time it was fairly calm.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ So it wasn't just me

The only time things really heated up reliably in the trading pit was in the 5 or 10 minutes from the closing bell... at least that's what my not so extensive observations led me to believe. The rest of the time it was fairly calm.

Yeah, I remember timing our visit to coincide with the end of the session for maximum action.

Man, I love those state of the art looking computers in that photo!

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Oh yes! I was a nerdy Alex P. Keaton type kid and I was very excited to see the trading floor. It wasn't nearly as lively as what I was imagining, but it was cool to go downtown and see it in action.

While we're on the subject, was there a similar trading floor in the old Grain Exchange Building? There must have been some lively trading in the early part of the 20th century before the Wheat Board was established. I've never seen a photo of the old exchange trading floor though.

edit:

Oh, I think I found a photo:



source: http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/04/agriculturehistory.shtml

I wonder if this space still exists in the grain exchange bldg? ( If that's where the trading floor was).
It's all clear span space ...

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I remember seeing an original rendering of the tower some years ago which showed the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange logo on the short sides, and I thought it looked damn good.

As an aside, anyone else remember when the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange was still a thing? When I was a kid I used to love going downtown to the library to study or whatever, and I got a kick out of dropping by the trading floor viewing gallery around the closing bell when the traders were jumping around and shouting orders like madmen while the ticker numbers flashed. You can see the gallery behind glass to the upper left:



I presume that trading floor must have been in the windowless lower part of the tower... I wonder what's there now?

It was, and still is a thing. As far as I understand, it's still Canada's only future's exchange. It's now all done electronically as opposed to a bunch of men screaming at the top of their lungs when prices rise or fall.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Pinus

It was, and still is a thing. As far as I understand, it's still Canada's only future's exchange. It's now all done electronically as opposed to a bunch of men screaming at the top of their lungs when prices rise or fall.

The Winnipeg Commodity Exchange and its trading floor are long gone... its successor is the ICE Futures Exchange which still has offices here, but is, as you point out, a much different animal.

[TimeFadesAway]

Originally Posted by Labroco

I wonder if this space still exists in the grain exchange bldg? ( If that's where the trading floor was).
It's all clear span space ...

Isn't it where the Chamber of Commerce supper club, or whatever it's called is/was? I remember going to a wedding there about 20 years ago and hearing that it was the old trading floor.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by TimeFadesAway

Isn't it where the Chamber of Commerce supper club, or whatever it's called is/was? I remember going to a wedding there about 20 years ago and hearing that it was the old trading floor.

Are you talking about Bergmann's on the 6th floor? The ceiling is standard height in there.

If anything I would have expected the trading floor to be fairly low, like main or 2nd floor...

Bergmann's:

[TimeFadesAway]

Originally Posted by esquire

Are you talking about Bergmann's on the 6th floor? The ceiling is standard height in there.

If anything I would have expected the trading floor to be fairly low, like main or 2nd floor...

Bergmann's:

If you look from the outside on the rear (white face) of the Grain Exchange, you can see that there are old 2 story windows that have now been divided spanning the 6th and 7th floors. I think those windows were for the 2 story trading floor.

[drew]

^ According to this, you are correct.

Trading pit was on the 6th floor, and was filled in for a dining room.

[Authentic_City]

Yeesh! What a downgrade. From what I can see from the old photos, it was such a grand space. Now it looks like a cheesy 1980s restaurant in need of a makeover. Too bad the original space was lost.

[drew]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Yeesh! What a downgrade. From what I can see from the old photos, it was such a grand space. Now it looks like a cheesy 1980s restaurant in need of a makeover. Too bad the original space was lost.

I imagine a lot of it is still there. Hidden by drywall and dropped ceilings.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Yeesh! What a downgrade. From what I can see from the old photos, it was such a grand space. Now it looks like a cheesy 1980s restaurant in need of a makeover. Too bad the original space was lost.

Yeah, wow... what a grand space it could have been. Or has that missing part of the floor simply been filled in and converted to standard office space or whatever?

Good find, drew.

[Gm0ney]

Originally Posted by esquire

Yeah, wow... what a grand space it could have been. Or has that missing part of the floor simply been filled in and converted to standard office space or whatever?

Good find, drew.

Yes, there's not much left of the old trading floor at the Grain Exchange but the windows.

The building just renovated their underground tunnel to Lombard Place and they have a lot of interesting pictures down there from the glory days.

[buzzg]

I believe one of the trading boards from there is hanging in RRC Roblin Centre

[optimusREIM]

Does anybody in the know have an idea when the project will actually get underway for 300 main?

[lilwayne]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

Does anybody in the know have an idea when the project will actually get underway for 300 main?

both 300 main st and skycity should be underway by may

and true north should be rising by may and be topped out by the fall

than the wag expansion should get underway soon.. hopefully more projects announced aswell.. such as the Sutton hotel.. I can see those getting underway at some point to but maybe not til 2018

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I remember seeing an original rendering of the tower some years ago which showed the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange logo on the short sides, and I thought it looked damn good.

As an aside, anyone else remember when the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange was still a thing? When I was a kid I used to love going downtown to the library to study or whatever, and I got a kick out of dropping by the trading floor viewing gallery around the closing bell when the traders were jumping around and shouting orders like madmen while the ticker numbers flashed. You can see the gallery behind glass to the upper left:



I presume that trading floor must have been in the windowless lower part of the tower... I wonder what's there now?

It's windowed, on the 4th floor at 360 Main... apparently Artis considered bringing in heavy steel to build another floor, but elected against it. So now that space just has a really tall ceiling and Artis' occupies it themselves.

[Urban recluse]

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