On November 3rd, 1903, at three o’clock in the afternoon, the cornerstone of Winnipeg’s first Carnegie Library was laid at 380 William Avenue with a crowd of around 500 citizens present. It was an “epoch-marking occasion”, only briefly interrupted by a disagreement between two dogs, with schools closing early so students could attend. Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor remarked that no building for educational purposes could be too good for Winnipeg, no matter how large or well constructed.

The Carnegie Library officially opened on October 11th, 1905, at 2:30pm, becoming Winnipeg’s first public library building. It was a celebration of learning, with the library free and open to all, ready to foster literacy and empower the public with knowledge. Winnipegger’s flocked to the library in droves, spurring the need for an addition in 1908 and it ranking it second in Canada for the number of books loaned out by 1910. As Winnipeg’s public library system expanded, the Carnegie Library remained at its heart until 1977.

The building was completely taken over by the City of Winnipeg Archives in 1995, becoming home to a wealth of historical materials dating back to 1873, worth over $4 million. In 2013, the City of Winnipeg started significant renovations to the Carnegie Library, working to create a state-of-the-art archival facility. Unfortunately, during the renovations a major rainstorm damaged the building, causing the work to come to a halt and the archives to be moved to a temporary location. On October 17th, 2025, after over a decade of sitting empty, the City of Winnipeg announced that renovation work has resumed, finally making the 120 year old Carnegie Library into a proper home for the archives. It is a fitting adaptive reuse project for this landmark building and a testament to the hard work of all the advocacy groups that have remained invested in conserving Winnipeg’s history.

Featured Image: The Carnegie Library on May 16th, 2024 from Heritage Winnipeg.