As the days get shorter and snow caps the rooftops, it’s only natural to spend time reflecting on the year that’s passed. Before we pull out the garlands and the nutcrackers, we’re taking a moment to look back at Heritage Winnipeg’s many accomplishments in 2024 while looking forward to the year ahead of us.

The Hammond Building, home of Heritage Winnipeg’s office.

News from the Board Room

Three New Seats at the Table: Heritage Winnipeg’s New Board Members

In September, Heritage Winnipeg welcomed three new members to our Board of Directors:

Roland Sawatzky – Formerly a curator for the Mennonite Heritage Village, Roland has been at the Manitoba Museum since 2011. His responsibilities include historical research and publications, artifact acquisitions, and exhibitions related to the settlement period and recent history.

Matthew Jacobi – With an extensive background in Project Management, Matthew has led several conservation and preservation projects in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Matthew works closely with contractors, artisans and historians, guided on each project by his passion and devotion to built heritage.

Kenneth Ingram – For years, Kenneth has dedicated countless hours of his time to Winnipeg’s history through research, blog posts, and walking tours. This year, Kenneth founded the Seven Oaks Historical Society. At Heritage Winnipeg’s 2024 Annual General Meeting, Kenneth joined as a keynote speaker and shared his knowledge of Winnipeg’s North East history.

We are so excited to have these three enthusiastic individuals joining our board and we look forward to the coming year! Read more about the new board members here.

Heritage Hero: Jim Smith Receives Winnipeg 150 Medal

On October 18th, 2024, community members gathered in Bunn’s Creek Greenway to celebrate 8 recipients of the Winnipeg 150 Medal, and among these recipients was Heritage Winnipeg Board Member Jim Smith.
Over his decades of dedication to Winnipeg’s history, Jim’s work has involved advocacy, research, and organization. Most notably, Jim is the founder of the North East Winnipeg Historical Society. The award was presented by North Kildonan Councillor Jeff Browaty, with Mayor Scott Gillingham in attendance.

Congratulations, Jim! We’re proud to call you one of our own.

Read more about Jim and the award ceremony here.

(from left to right) Mayor Scott Gillingham, Heritage Winnipeg Board Member Jim Smith, and City Council Member Jeff Browaty at a Winnipeg 150 Medal ceremony.

A Historic Headline: Greg Agnew featured in Free Press

On November 6th, 2024, our very own Board President Greg Agnew was featured in the Free Press: Community Review.

In her brilliant article, Freda Glow celebrates Greg’s dedication to Winnipeg’s history by highlighting his presentations, advocacy, and volunteering. Greg is an important part of the Heritage Winnipeg team, promoting our work through his presentations, setting up sales opportunities for our “Winnipeg 150: Stories our Buildings Tell” book, and doing maintenance work for the historic Millennium Centre. We are so grateful for the work he does and we are glad to see that work being appreciated by others as well!

Read the article here.

Talking Heritage: Cindy Tugwell Presents at the University Women’s Club

On October 8th, 2024, The University Women’s Club Continuing Education Committee kicked off their new lecture series with a presentation from our very own Executive Director, Cindy Tugwell.

The 3-part lecture series was themed around Winnipeg architecture, with a focus on exploring the past while looking towards the future. Cindy’s presentation, “Winnipeg 150: Then and Now” shared some of the most important and influential buildings in our city’s history and moved toward the story of Heritage Winnipeg with the “Save our Heritage” movement of the late 1970s. The presentation concluded with our more recent work in advocacy and future projects that we look forward to.

Cindy’s lecture was well received by the group, who had gathered in the historic home of Reverend Charles Gordon, aka Ralph Connor, to enjoy a luncheon and lively conversation about our city’s built heritage.

Advocacy in Action

The List Goes On: New Additions to the List of Historical Resources

In July, the City of Winnipeg Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development added five buildings and one statue to the List of Historical Resources. The new additions are as follows:

• The Customs Examining Warehouse (145 McDermot Avenue), built 1910
• The Fort Garry Public Library (1360 Pembina Highway), built 1960
• The St. Boniface Public Library Coronation Park Branch (120 Eugenie Street), built 1961
• The St. Boniface Public Library Provencher Park Branch (225 Rue de la Cathédrale), built 1961
• The Peguis Pavilion at Kildonan Park (2015 Main Street) built 1965
• The Boy with the Boot Statue at Assiniboine Park, built 1898

It is always a pleasure to see more and more of our beautiful buildings and monuments added to this list, adding a layer of protection to the character and history of each site. Read more about these new additions here.

Saving our Heritage: Positive Developments in 2024

In addition to these new designations, Winnipeg saw several heritage wins over the past year. Both the Rubin Block and St. Michael and All Angels Church were purchased with plans to adaptively reuse the historic buildings; the historic Gregg Building Lofts were officially opened up to new tenants; and Siloam Mission took over the former Odd Fellows home.

Heritage Winnipeg continued to manage and care for the Millennium Centre, a responsibility that was taken on in 2021. The building was filled with life in a series of back-to-back events, from bridal showers to weddings to surprise birthday parties. Our clients raved about the beauty of the venue and showed us just how many uses it can have.

Over the summer, the Millennium Centre was put to use by a Hollywood film crew as it was transformed once again into a movie set. Keep an eye out for our built heritage on the silver screen!

The 38th Annual Preservation Awards

On April 17th, the heritage community gathered at the Millennium Centre to celebrate the winners of Heritage Winnipeg’s 38th Annual Preservation Awards (APA’s). Each year, Heritage Winnipeg gives these awards to many individuals and organizations who go above and beyond in the conservation and restoration of Winnipeg’s built heritage. This year’s award recipients were as follows:

Institutional Conservation Award: Centennial Concert Hall (555 Main Street)

Commercial Conservation Award: J.R. Watkins Building (90 Annabella Street)

Residential Conservation Awards: Phillips Square (240 Taché Avenue), Paulin Street Lofts (101 Paulin Street), Historic Home (153 Burrows Avenue)

Distinguished Service Awards: Ian Moran (Maison Béliveau), Crescentwood Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District Committee

Youth Award: Lovissa Wiens

Read more about this year’s recipients here. 

Do you know of an individual or organization that has gone above and beyond for Winnipeg’s built heritage in the past year? Click here to learn more about APA nominations. 

No Need to Knock – The Doors are Open, Winnipeg!

2024 was the 21st year of Doors Open Winnipeg, and it was certainly one to remember! For one weekend a year, visitors are welcomed into interesting buildings both new and old across the city, from repurposed warehouses in the exchange district to historic homes in St. Norbert.

The Agowiidiwinan Centre at 15 Forks Market Road, a new participant in Doors Open this year.

Among the many returning participants were a handful of new locations, including the Agowiidiwinan Centre (15 Forks Market Road), the Gregg Building Lofts (52 Albert Street), Legion House Museum (134 Marion Street), Little Brown Jug (336 William Avenue), and Phillips Square (240 Taché Avenue). It was an honour to be joined by these establishments and to share their stories.

While Doors Open Winnipeg may be focused on built heritage, it is also an opportunity for us to celebrate the arts. This year, we were joined by the Manitoba Underground Opera, who gave an enchanting performance at Phillips Square. Over at the Vaughan Street Jail, the River City Syncopators were livening up the front yard as hundreds lined up to check out the building.

People lined up outside Vaughan Street Jail on a Doors Open weekend.

Even through the rain on Saturday, we saw huge attendance at every building as locals and tourists alike took advantage of this unique once-a-year event. Through our Social Media Contest and Golden Boy Scavenger Hunt, we got to hear firsthand how appreciated and anticipated our event is. This year we had over 18,000 site visits and over 500 volunteers! Thanks for joining us, we’ll see you next year!

To learn more about Doors Open Winnipeg, click here.

Doors Open Volunteers gathering on the rooftop of the Gregg Building at the 2024 Doors Open Winnipeg Volunteer and Awards Reception

Celebrating our Volunteers!

It’s no secret that without our volunteers, there would be no Doors Open Winnipeg. That’s why we make sure to thank them each year with a volunteer reception. This year, we gathered at the newly opened Gregg Building Lofts in their common space. We shared pizza, drinks and dessert and celebrated our amazing volunteers.

This reception was also where we announced the winners of the Doors Open Winnipeg 2024 People’s Choice Award. This year, the award for Best Tour went to Vaughan Street Jail, the award for Best Architecture was given to the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, and the award for Best Overall Experience was given to our reception hosts, the Gregg Building Lofts. Each winner received a framed original watercolour drawing of their building from the talented Robert J. Sweeney.

Representatives from the Holy Trinity Anglican Church receiving the 2024 Doors Open Winnipeg award for Best Architecture.

Representatives from the Gregg Building Lofts receiving the 2024 Doors Open Winnipeg award for Best Overall Experience.

Representatives from the Vaughan Street Jail receiving the 2024 Doors Open Winnipeg award for Best Tour.

At the end of the awards portion, the group was invited on a tour of the building’s suites. We concluded on the rooftop, looking out at the brilliant view and taking in the magnificent architecture of the Exchange District. It was surely an evening to remember.

Read more about the reception and award winners here.

An Age-Old Collaboration: Heritage and Art

This summer, for the first time, Heritage Winnipeg held an art contest!

“Showcase our Heritage” encouraged local artists to engage with and take inspiration from Winnipeg’s built heritage. Submissions opened on July 1st to commemorate Canada Day and closed on August 31st. Over these two months, we received a diverse range of impressive artwork from many talented artists!

Thanks to the many donations we received from exchange district businesses, we were able to offer prize packages of $200+ values to three of these brilliant artists. It was so great to see so many artists appreciating our built heritage through their skills. Click here to see all of the submissions.

(From left to right) Jordan Van Sewell, Cindy Tugwell, Jen Arnold and Lovissa Wiens at Heritage Winnipeg’s Local Artist Showcase.

Live and in Colour: Our Local Artist Showcase

After receiving so many fantastic artwork submissions over the summer, we thought we’d do our part in sharing their talents with the community through an artist showcase. In another first for Heritage Winnipeg, we participated in First Fridays in the Exchange with a Local Artist Showcase held at the historic Millennium Centre on November 1st, 2024.

The event featured artwork displays from a handful of artists who had participated in our summer art contest, plus presentations from two very special guest speakers: Jordan Van Sewell and Jen Arnold! Click here to read more about the guest speakers.

Throughout the evening, we opened our doors to the First Fridays crowd, many of whom had never stepped foot in the Millennium Centre! It was a brilliant way to celebrate the artists that keep the Exchange District alive while appreciating the artistry of our Neoclassical building.

Dome Sweet Dome: Heritage Winnipeg’s 2024 Fall Fundraiser

Also in November, we celebrated Winnipeg’s 150th year with our fall fundraiser, Under the Dome!

On November 8th, over 100 members of our heritage community gathered underneath the beautiful stained glass dome of the Millennium Centre for drinks, food, conversation, and entertainment. We had a fantastic bar set-up thanks to Patent 5 Distillery, which included a special Winnipeg 150 drink. With catering from Bergmann’s on Lombard, cake from Piazza DeNardi, and popcorn from Amazing Entertainment, we made sure that no one left hungry. The walls were lit up with beautiful imagery projected from the mezzanine by Pattern Interactive, bringing the magical building to life.

An opera singer in the mezzanine of the Millennium Centre at our Fall Fundraiser.

As we munched and mingled, the sweet sounds of Pablo Fuentes’ musical stylings on clarinet and guitar filled the air. To top it all off, we were serenaded by Manitoba Underground Opera soprano Grace Budoloski accompanied by Anica Warkentine on piano.

This magical evening was a wonderful way to celebrate our built heritage. This was our first in-person fundraiser since 2019 and we were overwhelmed by the support we received from our community.

Click here to read more about the event.

A World to Discover: Launching our New Website

Yesterday, we launched our brand-new DiscoverIT website!

Over the summer, our social media followers may have noticed some of our posts teasing a new bilingual website we’ve been working on. DiscoverIT is a Heritage Winnipeg project that collaborated with Digital Museums Canada and Pattern Interactive, and it launches on December 5th, 2024.

DiscoverIT takes you on an interactive journey through outstanding built heritage. Delve into the history of key landmarks and easily identify building features. Deepen your understanding with the glossary, bring your community’s architecture into the classroom or even submit a photo to the website. Phenomenal architecture awaits, are you ready to discover it?

Click here to visit DiscoverIT.

The More the Merrier: New Items in our Store!

This year, our online store got a handful of new and exciting items that will look amazing wrapped up beneath your Christmas tree.

A hardcover copy of Winnipeg 150: Stories Our Buildings Tell

“Winnipeg 150: Stories Our Buildings Tell”

“Winnipeg 150: Stories Our Buildings Tell” commemorates our city’s 150-year history through the celebration of our built heritage. This book, illustrated by Robert J. Sweeney, features 150 original watercolour drawings that capture the beauty of Winnipeg buildings, alongside a short history of the building. Available in both softcover and hardcover, “Winnipeg 150: Stories our Buildings Tell” is a brilliant and beautiful addition to any library.

Click here to purchase.

The Millennium Centre T-Shirt

Have you ever wanted to wear your favourite building? With our Millennium Centre t-shirts, you can! This beautiful Millennium Centre t-shirt, designed by the talented Maria Givner, showcases some of the many intricate details seen in the Millennium Centre; its beautiful stained glass dome, powerful columns, and striking mezzanine. We are beyond grateful to Maria for approaching us with this masterful interpretation and we’re so excited to offer it in our shop!

Click here to purchase.

Heritage Winnipeg x Hilary Druxman Bracelet

Last but certainly not least is this gorgeous sterling silver Heritage Winnipeg bracelet designed by Hilary Druxman. The bracelet features a charm in the shape of an arched window, identical to the one in our logo. Much like Winnipeg’s heritage buildings, arched windows are trustworthy and practical while still bringing a sense of character and elegance, a timeless classic. Thank you Hilary Druxman for creating this gorgeous and unique piece for us!

Click here to purchase.

***PLEASE NOTE: Due to the current Canada Post strike, shipping is currently unavailable. Please be sure to select “pick up at the Heritage Winnipeg office” when making your purchase.***

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: December Donation Drive

As a charitable organization, Heritage Winnipeg is asking for your help to support our efforts to protect and conserve our city’s irreplaceable built heritage. Your contribution to our 2024 December Donation Drive is an investment in the future of all Winnipeggers, helping conserve the heritage in the city we all love and call home.

In addition to this invaluable investment, everyone who donates to Heritage Winnipeg during our December Donation Drive will receive a 10% discount on our online store. This is our way of expressing our gratitude for your contributions and unending support. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on our 2024 December Donation Drive.

Heritage advocates protesting the demolition of the former Bank of Commerce in 1978.

Protecting our Heritage Since 1978

As we approach our 151st year as a city, Heritage Winnipeg continues to reflect on almost 47 years as an organization. Over the years, we’ve been a part of hundreds of projects, from advocacy to education and everything in between. We’ve seen buildings saved, lost, repurposed and restored. Each year, we learn more and more about the many benefits of protecting our built heritage. Each year, new partnerships, supporters and community members come together to help us see our mandate through. As an organization founded on the passion of community, we thank you for being a part of ours!