At one time referred to as the "Chicago of the North", the banks, warehouses, and early skyscrapers of Winnipeg's Exchange District recall the city's dominance in the fields of finance, manufacturing, wholesale distribution and the international grain trade. The remarkable group of buildings vividly illustrates the city's transformation between 1878 and 1913 from a modest pioneer settlement to Western Canada's largest metropolitan centre. Designed by a number of well-known architects, these buildings reflect an approach to architecture that was innovative, stylish and functional. The First World War and the Great Depression contributed to the end of Winnipeg's spectacular boom era. Through the efforts of dedicated citizens since the 1970s, the Exchange District has been preserved as a distinctive legacy of a formative period in Canada's economic development.