Great West Life is a big company with humble beginnings.

In 1891, the majority of insurance companies in Winnipeg were foreign owned, and the Canadian ones were based out of Eastern Canada. Fifteen prominent Winnipeggers gathered to create the Great West Life Assurance Company. Starting with only five employees and operating out of a single roomed office, they grew to 100 employees by 1907 and 600 agents.

In 1909, Great West Life hired Winnipeg architect J. D. Atchison, known for his “Chicago Style” designs, to build a true testament to the wealth of the company.

A steel frame holds up the facade which is clad in Kootenay marble from British Columbia. It is a stand-out Beaux-Arts design, more akin to the banking halls of Main Street than your average Winnipeg office building (but Great West Life was far from your average company).

Across the 20th century, the company continued to grow and bought out neighbouring buildings for annex space before moving to a brand-new modern office on Osborne Street in 1959.

Tenants still occupy the grand offices, and a different Winnipeg institution has taken over the first floor: Salisbury House Restaurant.