It is kind of wild when you think about how much a single block of real estate can dictate the vibe of an entire city. If you’ve spent any time in downtown Winnipeg, you know the intersection of Portage and Main is the legendary "windy" heart, but the real kinetic energy is just a few steps away at the corner of Portage and Donald. This is where the Mills Building MTS Center connection happens. It is a story about how an old-school brick structure from the early 1900s ended up physically and economically tethered to a massive, modern NHL arena.
Most people just walk past the Mills Building without a second glance. They are usually rushing toward a Winnipeg Jets game or a concert at what everyone still calls the "MTS Centre" (even if the sign says Canada Life Centre now). But that building—specifically the one at 364 Portage Avenue—is basically the glue holding that side of the street together. It isn’t just some random office space. It represents the survival of the city's heritage in the face of massive sports-led redevelopment.
The Weird Geography of the Mills Building MTS Center Link
The Mills Building wasn't always just "that building next to the arena." Built back in 1913, it started its life as a classic piece of Edwardian commercial architecture. Think high ceilings, heavy masonry, and that specific smell of old dust and success. Fast forward nearly a century. When True North Sports & Entertainment decided to drop a massive hockey rink into the middle of a dense downtown core, they didn't just bulldoze everything. They had to play Tetris.
The Mills Building ended up becoming an integral part of the footprint for the MTS Centre development.
Because space was so tight, the developers had to get creative. They didn't just build around the Mills Building; they integrated it. This created a weird, fascinating hybrid space where you can be standing in a century-old office corridor and, within about thirty seconds, be staring at a Jumbotron. This physical connection is a big reason why the building stayed relevant when other downtown structures were being boarded up or turned into parking lots.
Honestly, the logistics were a nightmare. To make the Mills Building MTS Center project work, engineers had to ensure the foundation of a 1913 structure wouldn't crumble while heavy machinery was digging out a massive bowl for the ice surface right next door. It’s a miracle of modern structural engineering that we mostly ignore because we’re too busy worrying about the price of beer at the concession stands.
Why Preservationists Actually Liked This
Usually, when a big developer moves in, people with "Save Our Heritage" signs show up in droves. And they did here, too. But the compromise reached with the Mills Building was actually sort of brilliant. Instead of losing the facade, the developers kept it. It preserved the "street wall" on Portage Avenue.
If they had torn it down, the arena would have just been this giant, windowless metal box looming over the sidewalk. Boring. By keeping the Mills Building as a neighbor and entry point, the street kept its human scale. You feel like you’re in a city, not just a parking complex for a sports team.
The Business Reality of 364 Portage Avenue
Let’s talk money. Why does anyone care about the Mills Building MTS Center connection from a business perspective? It’s simple: foot traffic.
Before the arena opened in 2004, that stretch of Portage Avenue was, frankly, a bit of a ghost town after 5:00 PM. Once the MTS Centre started bringing in 15,000 people for 40+ nights a year—plus concerts and Moose games—the value of the Mills Building skyrocketed.
- Retail Synergy: The ground floor of the Mills Building became prime real estate for businesses that thrive on pre-game crowds.
- Office Appeal: Small firms and creative agencies started seeing the appeal of being "right there."
- Property Value: Assessments for the building spiked because of its proximity to the city's biggest attraction.
It wasn't all sunshine, though. Construction was a slog. Renters in the Mills Building had to deal with years of dust, noise, and vibration. Some left. But the ones who stayed saw their neighborhood transform from a declining retail strip into the "Sports and Hospitality District" (SHED).
The "SHED" Effect
The City of Winnipeg eventually formalized this area as the SHED. It’s basically a tax-increment financing zone. The idea is that the increased taxes generated by the MTS Centre and surrounding properties like the Mills Building get reinvested back into the area. It paid for better lighting, nicer sidewalks, and that feeling that you aren't going to trip over a cracked curb on your way to see a concert.
The Mills Building is basically the anchor of the northern edge of this district. Without it, the SHED would feel a lot more corporate and a lot less authentic.
What People Get Wrong About the Building
You hear people say that the Mills Building is just "part of the arena." That isn't technically true. It’s a separate legal entity with its own history. While True North owns a lot of the land in the area, the Mills Building has historically functioned as a multi-tenant office space.
Another misconception is that it’s purely a "hockey building." It isn't. It houses tech startups, non-profits, and service providers who have nothing to do with the NHL. They just happen to have a front-row seat to the circus every Tuesday night in January.
The integration of the Mills Building MTS Center is more about infrastructure. There are shared access points and structural dependencies. For example, the way the skywalk system (Winnipeg's famous indoor walkway) snakes through the area relies on the positioning of these buildings. If you’ve ever walked from the Millennium Library to the arena without putting on a parka in -30 weather, you can thank the way these buildings are stitched together.
Surviving the Digital and Post-Pandemic Shift
The 2020s haven't been kind to downtown office buildings. With remote work becoming the norm, a lot of old brick-and-beam buildings are struggling. But the Mills Building has a "moat," as Warren Buffett would say. Its moat is the arena.
As long as people want to see live events, the real estate directly adjacent to the MTS Centre (now Canada Life Centre) will remain valuable. You can't "Zoom" a hockey game. You have to be there. And as long as you have to be there, you’re going to be walking past the Mills Building.
Modern Upgrades
In recent years, there’s been a push to modernize the interior of the Mills Building while keeping the exterior looking like 1913. We're talking fiber optic internet, high-efficiency HVAC, and modernized elevators. It's a "Best of Both Worlds" situation. You get the cool exposed brick aesthetic that every tech company craves, but you don't have to deal with the drafty windows of the 1980s.
Actionable Insights for Investors and Business Owners
If you are looking at the Mills Building MTS Center area as a case study for urban development or as a potential place to set up shop, here is the ground reality.
- Prioritize Proximity over Prestige: The Mills Building proves that being "next to the action" is often more valuable than being in the newest glass tower. The foot traffic alone acts as a massive marketing engine for any ground-floor business.
- Understand Heritage Constraints: If you’re looking to renovate or buy into a building like this, remember that heritage designations are a double-edged sword. You get tax breaks and "cool factor," but you can't just knock down a wall whenever you feel like it.
- Leverage the Skywalk: In a winter city like Winnipeg, your building's "Skywalk score" is its lifeblood. The Mills Building’s connection to the MTS Centre and the rest of the indoor network is what keeps its occupancy rates higher than isolated buildings further down the street.
- Watch the Event Calendar: For businesses in this building, your "busy season" isn't determined by the weather; it's determined by the Jets' home stand. Aligning your staffing and marketing with the arena's schedule is the only way to survive.
The story of the Mills Building and the MTS Center isn't just about bricks and mortar. It’s about how a city chooses to grow. Instead of erasing its past to make room for a shiny new stadium, Winnipeg found a way to let the two coexist. It’s messy, the hallways are sometimes confusing, and the parking is a nightmare during a playoff run, but it’s a heck of a lot more interesting than a suburban strip mall.
💡 You might also like: Gold Bond Building Hawaii: The Kaka'ako Icon That Almost Vanished
The next time you’re heading to a game, take five seconds to look at the brickwork of the Mills Building. It’s been standing there since before the first NHL game was ever played, and thanks to some clever urban planning, it’ll probably be there long after we’re all gone. It is a reminder that in business and architecture, the best results often come from integration, not replacement.
Keep an eye on the upcoming renovations planned for the Portage Avenue corridor over the next two years. There is talk of further "pedestrianizing" the area between the Mills Building and the arena, which could mean more outdoor patio space and less car traffic. For a building that has survived for over 110 years, it’s just the next chapter in a very long, very resilient book.