It had leaks and drafts and its best days were many, many moons ago.

But it's where Grey Cup champions were built and declared and where thousands wore out their lungs cheering on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

And for those who worked in the Bomber offices during the good times and the bad all these years, Friday -- the last day in the ol' joint before the move to Investors Group Field -- was a mix of nostalgia, excitement and sadness.

"I was in there one last time (Friday)... it was a little bit difficult for me," said Bombers VP of marketing Jerry Maslowsky, who has worked for the club for 14 years. "The trucks were there and everything was being packed up. It was becoming very bare. It was one of those moments you won't forget.

"I've been a fan, an employee and the memories you have from that place, the people you have met, the players... I cherish those moments."

The Bombers will be setting up shop in their new digs next week before opening their offices to the public on Monday, Jan. 14. And with that, the organization transfers from an aging relic to something shiny and new.

"A lot of work and planning went into this to get us where we are," Maslowsky said.

"This is a major project. This is a new beginning, a new era. And I'm sure they are the same feelings people had when the Bombers went from Osborne Stadium to this brand new stadium that was way out of the downtown. But it created a lot of great memories.

"Some of our fans have been around long enough that they are moving into their third stadium. People have related it to moving out of a house... but imagine it's not four or five, but an entire organization.

"We're moving our family, our fans, into a state-of-the-art facility.

"It's massive and it's exciting."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 5, 2013 C2