Simmons Factory Building - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 02.858 W 114° 02.959
11U E 706817 N 5659264
This old building, constructed in 1912, was the site of a Simmons bedding factory, once making bedding for Canada's military in WWII. The building is located in East Village in Calgary, Alberta
Waymark Code: WMCZDM
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 10/29/2011
Views: 10
"The Simmons Building, also referred to as the Simmons Factory Warehouse, was built in 1912. The two-storey brick structure sits on the bank of the Bow River, in front of the recently completed RiverWalk Plaza.
The heritage building is best known for its long-term association with Simmons Canada, a nationwide bedding manufacturing company. During World War II, the building was used exclusively to provide bedding for the military. The Simmons is one of the last remaining buildings of its kind in this part of the city, and serves as a reminder of the light industry that once thrived in downtown Calgary.
The Simmons Building features standard post-and-beam construction, with brick exterior walls. The twelve-inch square fir posts, short-span beams and mill floors provided maximum floor-loading capability to support heavy machinery and stacks of mattresses.
Three years ago, CMLC refurbished the Simmons Building. Windows and mechanical systems were repaired, years of contaminated paint and materials were removed, flooring was refinished and new fire protection systems and doors were installed. While CMLC’s head office is currently located in the building, the Simmons is envisioned as a future commercial space along River Walk."
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"Built in 1912 for the Alaska Bedding Company of Winnipeg, the Simmons Building originally housed a factory that produced pillows, mattresses, sofa beds and hospital beds. During the Second World War, production was limited to bedding for the military overseas. After that, the building was used by the Simmons Canada mattress company until 1966, when it was abandoned, reopened briefly in the ’70s, when it served as a bunkhouse for City of Calgary survey crews and as a storage depot for party-rental equipment."
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