Manitoba Historical Society
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Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Auditorium / Archives of Manitoba / Manitoba Legislative Library (200 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Provincial Librarians | Provincial Archivists | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

This building, designed by the architectural firms of Northwood and Chivers, Pratt and Ross, and John Nelson Semmens, was erected by the firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger in 1931-1932, during the depths of the Great Depression, as a make-work project of the federal government, Province of Manitoba, and City of Winnipeg. Its corner stone was laid on 18 August 1932 at a ceremony attended by the Governor-General of Canada. The building was officially opened on 15 October 1932 by Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett and Minister of the Interior T. G. Murphy.

Its main auditorium seated 4,075 people while the concert hall seated 800. Some of the international stars who appeared here included Yehudi Menuhin, Sonny James, Margot Fonteyn, Paul Robeson, The Trapp Family Singers, Arthur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Petula Clark, Jussi Bjöerling, and Marion Anderson. Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker began his successful 1958 election campaign here. A few months later, the Canadian Labour Congress and Co-operative Commonwealth Federation met to lay plans for the creation of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

In 1970, the building was sold by the city to the Province of Manitoba for about a million dollars. After renovations, it became known as the Manitoba Archives Building, and was home to the Archives of Manitoba and the Legislative Library of Manitoba, opening in September 1975. Interior renovations included removal of cantilevered balconies from the main auditorium. The exhibition galleries, with their large, arched windows, became the Reading Rooms for the Archives and Library.

Provincial Librarians

Period

Provincial Librarian

1884-1919

John Palmerston Robertson (1841-1919)

1919-1936

William James Healy (1867-1950)

1936-1955

John Leslie Johnston (1898-1955)

1955-1970

Marjorie Gertrude Morley (1910-1993)

1970-1988

Louise Clementine Combaz (1918-1992)

1988-2010

Susan Bishop

2011-2014

Tannis Gretzinger

2014-?

Scott Goodine

Provincial Archivists

Period

Provincial Archivist

1947-1952

James Arthur Shields Jackson (1918-1976)

1952-1967

Hartwell Walter Lewis Bowsfield (1922-2008)

1967-1979

John Alexander Bovey (1934-2005)

1980-1997

Peter Bower

1998-2006

William Gordon Dodds (1941-2010)

2006-2008

?

2008-?

Scott Goodine

Photos & Coordinates

Winnipeg Civic Auditorium

Winnipeg Civic Auditorium (1930s) by J. Fred Spalding
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2014-0344

The former Winnipeg Civic Auditorium

The former Winnipeg Civic Auditorium (September 2017)
Source: George Penner

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88870, W97.14834
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Northwood and Chivers / Northwood Chivers and Casey

Manitoba Business: Pratt and Ross

Memorable Manitobans: John Nelson Semmens (1879-1960)

Memorable Manitobans: Hubert A. Garnier (1903-1987)

Manitoba Organization: Manitoba Museum

Historic Sites of Manitoba: The Manitoba Museum (190 Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg)

An Interview with Manitoba’s New Provincial Archivist, Mr. Peter Bower by Sharon Babaian
Manitoba History, Number 4, 1982

Sources:

“Winnipeg Auditorium Building: A Brief History,” unpublished fact sheet by Manitoba Legislative Library.

Obituary [W. Gordon Dodds], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 July 2010.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and George Penner.

Page revised: 22 January 2023

Historic Sites of Manitoba

This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.

Browse lists of:
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Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.

Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.


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