Historic Sites of Manitoba: Union Railway Station (123 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Built between 1908 and 1909 for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, Union Station was designed by Warren and Wetmore, architects of New York’s Grand Central Station, and built by the local construction firm of Lyall-Mitchell. Like many public buildings of the period the design draws on the Beaux Arts style in its balanced plan and classical details of the grand central arch flanked by paired columns and topped by a large dome. Despite its monumental scale the simple plan and plain surfaces of the smooth stone create an austere version of this style. One of Western Canada’s largest railway stations, it welcomed thousands of immigrants to the prairies.

In 1976, a plaque inside the rotunda was unveiled by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. A 2014 renovation project for the building’s rotunda was recognized by a Heritage Winnipeg Preservation Award.

A worker for Manitoba Government Telephones transports a new phone pole by the Union Station (date unknown) Source: Rob McInnes, WP1463 View of the Union Station rotunda, taken by the Winnipeg Sales Company (circa 1918) Source: Rob McInnes, WP1695 Waiting room in the Union Station (circa 1918) Source: Rob McInnes, WP1461 Waiting room in the Union Station (circa 1918) Source: Toronto Postcard Club, 2016-0075 Union Station as it appeared in a postcard (1920s) Source: Rob McInnes, WP0634 Union Station (1995) Source: George Penner Union Station, as seen from the roof of the Fort Garry Hotel (2007) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Aerial view of Union Station (August 2021) Source: George Penner Interior of Union Station (August 2015) Source: George Penner Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88885, W97.13456 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Railway Museum (123 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Canadian National Railway Power House (8 Forks Market Road, Winnipeg)

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

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Canadian Pacific Railway Station (181 Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Railway Stations

MHS Resources: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks: Brookdale Brick and Tile Company

Sources:

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 1908/0726, City of Winnipeg Archives.

We thank Rob McInnes, Jason Vanderhill (Vancouver Postcard Club), Toronto Postcard Club, George Penner, and Nathan Kramer for providing images of the Union Station.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 May 2023

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