Simmons Building CLOSE

Calgary's Iconic Simmons Building

The Simmons Building, also referred to as the Simmons Factory Warehouse, built in 1912, is a two-storey brick structure adorned with historic painted signage. The property is situated on the eastern edge of downtown Calgary in the East Village neighbourhood, on the bank of the Bow River.

Built by the Montreal based Alaska Bedding Company (ABC) in 1912, at the peak of Calgary's development boom, the heritage building is best known for its long-term association with Simmons Canada, a nationwide bedding manufacturing company, created in 1919 when Alaska Bedding Company and its subsidiaries amalgamated. ABC/Simmons used the Simmons Building in Calgary for the assembly and warehousing of specialty sleep equipment such as adjustable hospital beds and nursery racks. The well-known Beauty Rest line of mattresses, as well as pillows, regular mattresses, and chesterfield beds were also assembled here. During World War II, the building was used exclusively to provide bedding for the military. Simmons occupied the building until 1966 when, due to the low elevation of the site in relation to the Bow River, flooding in the basement necessitated moving to a new location. It is one of the last remaining buildings of its kind in this portion of the City and serves to recall the variety of light industry once situated in downtown Calgary.

The Simmons Building's Architectural Significance

The Simmons Building is an excellent and rare representative example of pre-World War I manufacturing and industrial architecture. Considered modern for its time, it was constructed by Carter-Hall-Aldinger Co. Ltd. for an estimated cost of $20,000. It had a concrete foundation with brick cladding, steam heating, an electric elevator, a sprinkler system, a full basement with board floor, and an adjoining boiler house. Its standard post-and-beam construction with brick exterior walls exemplifies industrial and warehouse construction in Calgary. The twelve-inch square fir posts, short-span beams, and mill floors provided maximum floor-loading capability to support the heavy machinery and the stacks of mattresses and other bedding materials produced by the Alaska Bedding Company.

Simmons Building Rejuvenation

CMLC has renovated a portion of the exterior and interior of the Simmons Building and now our head office occupies the main floor of the building. CMLC is committed to the respectful rejuvenation and reuse of the Simmons Building. We have fixed windows and mechanical systems, removed years of contaminated paint and materials from the main and second floors, refinished the flooring on the main level, and installed new fire protection systems and doors.

Careful restoration of the Simmons Building will likely be an ongoing process as we continue to determine the vision for the Rivers District.