Albert Street Autonomous Zone Explained

Imperial Dry Goods Block
Alternate Names:Trend InteriorsEmma Goldman BuildingMondragon Bookstore and CafeTooke Building
Location:91 Albert Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Completion Date:1899
Architect:J.H. Cadham
Floor Count:3
Embedded:
Child:yes
Headerstyle:background-color:#eee;
Header1:
Decat:yes
Child:yes
Heritage site
Label1:Designation
Label2:Recognized
Label3:CRHP listing
Label4:Recognition authority
Data4:City of Winnipeg
Label5:ID
Data5:8668
Renovation Date:1909
Mapframe:no

The Albert Street Autonomous Zone, also known as A-Zone or the Old Market Autonomous Zone, was founded in 1995, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, by local activists Paul Burrows and Sandra Drosdowech, who also co-founded Winnipeg's Mondragon Bookstore.[1]

Its name is derived from "Old Market Square", the historic Exchange District in Winnipeg's downtown core area,[2] combined with Hakim Bey's notion of a "temporary autonomous zone" (or TAZ). The Winnipeg A-Zone occupies a three-story building sometimes referred to as the Imperial Dry Goods Building, originally built in 1899. Like many buildings in the area, it is classified as a heritage building by the city of Winnipeg. Since 1995,[3] the building has been known locally as both the A-Zone, and sometimes the Emma Goldman Building.[4]

Member organizations

The A-Zone supported worker-owned businesses, whether worker co-ops or sole proprietorships, as well as grassroots activist groups and collectives, and in turn been supported by them, since starting in 1995.Past members included groups such as Food Not Bombs, Arbeiter Ring Publishing, Urban Shaman (Artist Run Aboriginal Art Gallery), Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women, Amnesty International (Winnipeg), Okijida Warriors' Society, Manitoba Women in Trades and Technology (MBWITT), Dada World Data (DWD), Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House, and others.[5] Tenant members have included G7 Welcoming Committee Records, a label run by Propagandhi on principles of participatory economics.[6]

In 2007, the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre (r2c2) was founded on the third floor of the building, and according to the r2c2 website, functions as a "gallery and multi-purpose venue for social, political, and cultural events of interest to the anarchist, activist, and wider Winnipeg community."[7]

On 1 February 2012, it was announced the tenant-owned co-operative consisting of Mondragon, Winnipeg Copwatch, Boreal Forest Network, ParIT, Natural Cycle Courier and Rudolph Rocker Cultural Center had purchased the building.[8] While the cooperative continued to own the building a year later,[9] by 2021 the building had been converted into a commercial property.[10]

Mondragon

The Mondragon café and bookstore closed in January 2014 after 18 years of operation. The cooperatively run venue was known for its leftist politics as an anarchist icon within the city of Winnipeg. Its signature dish was southern-fried tofu. Closing after several final years of unstable finances, the venue had seen increased costs, increased competition, decreased bookstore revenue, and decreased overall foot traffic. Only five members remained in the cooperative from a height of 12. As a key tenant in the building, its absence put the cooperative's long-term solvency into question.[11]

Events

The Albert Street Autonomous Zone has additionally hosted the 2012 Winnipeg Anarchist Book Fair with a panel and workshops.[12]

Further reading

External links

49.8976°N -97.1403°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mondragon at five . The Manitoban . Michelle . French . 12 September 2001 . 2021-10-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070506212153/http://themanitoban.com/2001-2002/0912/features_4.shtml . 2007-05-06 .
  2. Web site: Winnipeg : Essential City : Old Market Square | WHERE.ca . 2007-01-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070102190827/http://www.where.ca/winnipeg/guide_listing~listing_id~4034.htm . 2007-01-02 . dead .
  3. Web site: Development. City of Winnipeg Planning, Property &. Winnipeg. City of. List of Historical Resources - Planning, Property and Development Department - City of Winnipeg. 2021-07-13. www.winnipeg.ca. English. 13 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713214759/https://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/Heritage/ListHistoricalResources.stm#1. live.
  4. Web site: Old Market Autonomous Zone :: The A-Zone: A Brief History . 1 January 2007 . 9 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809002147/http://a-zone.org/history/ . live .
  5. Web site: Member Groups . Albert Street Autonomous Zone . 25 October 2021 . 25 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211025202855/https://archived.a-zone.org/members/ . live .
  6. News: Moore . Julie . A Veteran Punk in Relentless Pursuit of Love . Canadian Dimension . 39 . 6 . 47 . November 2005 . English . 0008-3402 . . mdy-all . 5 November 2021 . 5 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211105181433/https://www.proquest.com/docview/204154287 . . live .
  7. http://www.rocker.cc/rocker Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre
  8. Web site: HERITAGE EXCHANGE DISTRICT BUILDING SOLD TO A-ZONE CO-OPERATIVE. Press Release. Autonomouse Zone. 26 February 2012. 18 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121018122043/http://a-zone.org/wp-content/uploads/A-zone-Press-Release-Building-purchase.pdf. live.
  9. News: Mackintosh . Karen . Around the Left in 60 Days . Canadian Dimension . 47 . 2 . 10–11 . March 2013 . English . 0008-3402 . . mdy-all . 5 November 2021 . 5 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211105181433/https://www.proquest.com/docview/1372334652 . . live .
  10. Web site: 91 Albert – Winnipeg | Manitoba | Canada . 5 November 2021 . 22 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022232033/https://www.91albert.com/ . live .
  11. News: Welch . Mary Agnes . Anarchist icon serving last meal . Winnipeg Free Press . A3 . 2014-01-19 . . English . 0828-1785 . Winnipeg, Man., Canada . 5 November 2021 . 27 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211027015020/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/Mondragon-closing-doors-for-good-this-month-241013351.html . live .
  12. News: Armstrong . Bob . Red River College instructor a textbook pioneer . Winnipeg Free Press . J.8 . 2012-08-25 . English . 0828-1785 . . Winnipeg, Man., Canada . mdy-all . 5 November 2021 . 5 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211105181450/https://www.proquest.com/docview/1034925884 . . live .

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