Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Art Gallery (300 Memorial Boulevard, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Photos & Coordinates | Directors | Sources

This four-storey building in Winnipeg was based on designs by local architect Gustavo Uriel da Rosa, winner of a competition which saw over 475 entries from around North America. The Iceberg-style structure was built at a cost of about $4.5 million by the Bird Construction Company Limited between 1969 and 1971. Construction was funded, in part, through contributions from the federal government ($500,000), provincial government ($1.25 million), a citizens campaign ($1,076,000), and private donations ($854,000).

The Tyndall-stone building features a roof-level lounge and restaurant, 25,000 square foot main gallery, 300-seat auditorium, lecture and seminar rooms, gift shop, administration space, and storage facilities. To facilitate the handling and display of a vast works and exhibits, the building’s freight elevator measures 26 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 12 feet high. A private viewing was held on 24 September 1971 and the gallery was opened officially by Princess Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon on 25 September during the royal couple’s visit. A crowd of some 3,000 people were on-hand for the opening. During her Royal visit in May 1974, she also unveiled a commemorative plaque was unveiled within the buildings foyer. The facility replaced the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s previous location in the Winnipeg Auditorium and its predecessor in the Industrial Bureau Exposition Building.

Among the items held in the collections of the Winnipeg Art Gallery is a First World War honour roll crafted by artist Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald for the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.

Photos & Coordinates

Winnipeg Art Gallery (January 2015) Source: Nathan Kramer Winnipeg Art Gallery (January 2018) Source: George Penner Winnipeg Art Gallery (April 2018) Source: Nathan Kramer Inuit Art Centre under construction at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (November 2020) Source: George Penner Princess Margaret unveiling the Winnipeg Art Gallery commemorative plaque (May 1974) Source: Archives of Manitoba, CH 0276, Government Photographs, GR3552, 74-2840 Winnipeg Art Gallery commemorative plaque (April 2018) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88954, W97.15035 denoted by symbol on the map above

Directors

Period	Director
1974-1983	Roger L. Selby (?-1995)

First World War (IODE FitzGerald Honour Roll)

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Samuel Williscraft Carley [Next of Kin]	Salesman	2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	30 May 1881	12 April 1917
Cecil Ackroyd Falls [Holy Trinity, Next of Kin]	Bank Clerk	3rd Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery	Gunner	15 December 1897	7 November 1917
Hevre Murray Grant MC [Next of Kin, St. Lukes]	Accountant	52nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Captain	29 August 1891	28 October 1917
George David Lynch [Osler Hammond Nanton, Next of Kin, St. Lukes]	Broker	16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Major	17 July 1882	8 October 1916
Herbert George Maybank [Augustine, Kelvin]	Student	29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Student	4 July 1893	19 April 1916

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Gustavo Uriel da Roza (1933-2022)

Manitoba Organization: Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)

Sources:

“Calling bids soon for new Art Gallery,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 June 1969, page 3.

“Art Gallery tenders called,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 September 1969, page 34.

[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 14 July 1970, page 20.

[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 August 1970, page 2.

“Princess Margaret here in Sept.” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 July 1971, page 18.

“Princess crosses picket line,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 September 1971, page 1.

“A new era for Manitobans begins ... September 25, 1971,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 September 1971, page 8.

“Today is day one,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 September 1971, page 10.

“Royal visit winds up quietly,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 September 1971, page 12.

“Quiet Royal arrival starts five-day visit to Manitoba,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 May 1974, page 4.

“Highlights from a busy Royal weekend,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 May 1974, page 30.

“Former WAG director dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 May 1995, page 11.

We thank George Penner and Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 16 May 2022

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