109 James Street

This one-storey brick building was constructed to improve the city’s inadequate water supply system for firefighting. Drawing water from the Red River to supply hydrants downtown, this high-pressure water system for firefighting employed massive pumps built in England and was one of only two known to exist in North America. The system was shut down and the building closed in 1986. More than 30 years later it was converted into a mixed-use facility with office and restaurant space The office occupies a new floor supported by the old gantry crane rails. Much of the original pumping machinery can still be seen from inside the restaurant. The same architect designed the two new black-clad residential blocks at either end of the pumphouse in 2021 and 2024.