H.V. Shaw Building

Built in 1914 as a cigar factory, this four and a half storey warehouse and office building was located on the edge of Edmonton’s pre-war warehouse district. Designed by the architects Magoon and MacDonald, the warehouse was constructed of reinforced concrete with a vertical brick façade. The influence of the Chicago School of architecture is evident through the use of Chicago windows on the front and precast concrete elements such as window sills and parapet detailing. The elaborate brick and stone patterns, and the surviving painted wall of advertising, make it one of the most decorative warehouses in Edmonton.

H.V. Shaw was one of Edmonton’s early entrepreneurs. He started a cigar business in 1901, which progressively grew to a point where it hired one of the largest crews of skilled labour in the city in order to produce over a million cigars. In 1919, Shaw lost his   building and business due to economic setbacks, the rise in popularity of cigarettes, as well as prohibition and the closing of saloons. Over the years the building has seen many different occupants. In 2002, a steel and glass addition was built on the south side, to accommodate a local micro-brewery.