fbpx
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

September 24, 2024

Shards Discarded from Air Canada Window Park

Last week, the City of Winnipeg began demolition of Air Canada Window Park at 355 Portage Avenue to begin work on the park’s new design. The site was home to a number of shards from demolished historic buildings, including Northern Crown Bank (built 1908), McIntyre Block (built 1899), and Devon Court Apartments (built 1909). The shards were incorporated into the park’s 1985 design from the three buildings that had been recently demolished.

Almost 40 years later, these historically significant shards were mindlessly destroyed during the park’s demolition. When asked why they chose not to relocate these pieces of our built heritage, City officials claimed that the process was too costly. However, they were unable to give an estimate on what that cost would have been.

Heritage Winnipeg was never consulted on the fate of these shards. The heritage community has expressed “great disappointment” in the City of Winnipeg’s actions. We urge the city to consider the significance of our built heritage in future projects, and to approach situations such as this with greater respect and care!

A diagram of Air Canada Window Park shards, their original buildings, and the current demolished site. Courtesy of Christian Cassidy, West End Dumplings.

Thank you to Christian Cassidy for granting permission to use images.

Sources:

Bernhardt, Darren. “Winnipeg history among ruins of Air Canada Window Park demolition, say heritage advocates” CBC News, 23 September 2024.

Pursaga, Joyanne. “City criticized after parts of historic buildings demolished” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 September 2024.

 

logo

 / Recent News

October 2, 2024

War Veteran Statue to be Relocated to Brookside Cemetery

The First World War Veteran statue in front of the Former Bank of Montreal (335 Main Street) is set to be relocated to Brookside Cemetery (3001 Notre Dame Ave.) to make way for the reopening of Portage and Main.

September 27, 2024

A New Chapter for Portage Place Mall: an Update on SCO and True North’s Redevelopment Project

Heritage Winnipeg would like to congratulate True North on their confirmed purchase of Portage Place Mall. At a press conference on Friday, September 27th 2024, True North Real Estate Development announced that they plan to redevelop this 1.2 million square foot building for multi-use space, for residential, health care, and community support, in partnership with the Southern Chiefs Organization. This project is being supported by all three levels of government.

Welcoming Three New Heritage Winnipeg Board Members

Heritage Winnipeg is pleased to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors – Kenneth Ingram, Matthew Jacobi and Roland Sawatzky! With diverse backgrounds, experiences and specialties, they bring a wealth of knowledge to our organization. We are also excited for the fresh insights, energy and enthusiasm from our new board members, helping us…

September 24, 2024

Shards Discarded from Air Canada Window Park

Last week, the City of Winnipeg began demolition of Air Canada Window Park at 355 Portage Avenue to begin work on the park’s new design. The site was home to a number of shards from demolished historic buildings, which were thoughtlessly destroyed during the demolition process.

September 10, 2024

“Showcase Our Heritage” Art Contest Submissions and Winners

Over the past summer, Heritage Winnipeg hosted our first ever art contest! We invited artists of all backgrounds, skill levels, and styles to share a piece of visual artwork that engaged with Winnipeg’s built heritage. In response, we received 19 submissions!

August 2, 2024

Old Stones, New Tricks: Edison Park Receives Historic New Name

The small park at the corner of Edison Avenue and Henderson Highway now has a new name. Once called Edison Park, its new name honours the historical significance of its location and contents: Matheson Millstones Park.

Subscribe to Heritage Winnipeg Blog