Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface City Hall (219 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg)

Designed for the Town of St. Boniface by architect Victor Horwood and completed in 1906 by the William Grace Company at a cost of $60,000, the main floor contained offices for the Secretary-Treasurer, Town Clerk, School Board, and Mayor. Council chambers were on the second floor, with residences for the Chief of Police and his assistant on the third floor. The court room and eleven jail cells (two for women, nine for men) were located in the basement.

A City of Winnipeg plaque on the front grounds of the building, unveiled in July 1992, commemorates long-time St. Boniface resident and volunteer Maureen Fritz-Lonergan, and explains the planting of a Japanese Lilac Tree nearby. Nearby is an Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba plaque that gives a brief history of the initial development of St. Boniface. Also on the site is a plaque erected in 1984 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

On the median of Provencher Boulevard in front of City Hall is a commemorative plaque for John Boily (nee Dimito Dooda, 1902-1977) who donated and maintained the nearby row of flowering trees.

In 1988, the building underwent renovations that, the following year, were recognized with a Heritage Winnipeg Conservation Award. The building is a municipally-designated historic site.

St. Boniface City Hall (1926) Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Acc. 1979-141, P7451, Album 14, Page 44. St. Boniface City Hall (February 2015) Source: George Penner Japanese Lilac Tree Plaque (June 2021) Source: George Penner St. Boniface Plaque (2010) Source: City of Winnipeg Boily Plaque (2010) Source: City of Winnipeg Boily Plaque (May 2022) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89267, W97.12088 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface Police Station, Jail, and Courthouse (227 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface Health Unit Building (233 Provencher Boulevard, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface Fire Hall No. 1 (212 rue Dumoulin, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface Town Hall / St. Boniface Public School / St. Boniface Minor Seminary / Carmelite Order Convent (Masson Street, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Plaques for Persons, Events and Sites of National Historic Significance

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

L’Hôtel-de-Ville de Saint-Boniface (St. Boniface City Hall), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee, September 1981.

Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.

We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 May 2023

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