On December 5th, 2024, Winnipeg’s extraordinary architecture will be at your fingertips! Heritage Winnipeg’s new DiscoverIT website takes you on an interactive journey through outstanding built heritage. Delve into the history of key landmarks and easily identify building styles. Deepen your understanding with the illustrated glossary, bring your community’s architecture into the classroom or even submit a photo to the website’s database. Phenomenal architecture awaits, are you ready to discover it?

After many years of hard work, Heritage Winnipeg is proud to see this project developed in partnership with Pattern Interactive finally go live! Funded by Digital Museums Canada, the DiscoverIT website is the result of the many dedicated people, passionate about celebrating the outstanding architecture of Winnipeg’s built heritage. Fully bilingual and easy to navigate, DiscoverIT makes architecture accessible for everyone from the casual admirer to the primary school student. Using Manitoba’s diverse collection of heritage buildings as a starting point, users can learn more about a specific building, architectural styles and features, the history of Winnipeg or more! Dig into the details of a building you see everyday in our city or use the website to broaden your understanding of historic architecture found throughout Canada. Modern and archival images, maps, descriptions, panoramic photos, integrated features and more all help create an immersive journey into architecture like you have never experienced before!

The “Featured Buildings” section highlights over 100 heritage buildings in Winnipeg and throughout the province of Manitoba. Use the map to view the profile of a building or scroll through the index, complete with pictures. Within each building’s profile is a description of the history and architecture of the building, media gallery and map. Some profiles feature fantastic before-and-after sliders, allowing you to see exactly how a building and its surroundings have changed over time. Other profiles have panoramic photos of the building interiors, making it feel like you are viewing the building in person, turning around to see every angle. Key terms in the profile are also linked to more information within the website, allowing you to further explore topics of interest.

Want to learn more about different architecture types and styles? The “Building Styles & Types” section allows you to search through 27 styles and types of architecture in the database by characteristic or by scrolling through the index. When you find one of interest, simply click the explore button to learn more. History, characteristics, illustrations and examples all help deepen you understanding of the architecture and while links allow further studies.

Users can help grow the website with their own photos of fabulous architecture through the “Public Contributions” section. It is easy to upload an image with details, sharing buildings from across the country. The database is then searchable so users can find a specific image or simply enjoy all the remarkable architecture that makes our communities beautiful places to live!

Run across an architecture term you are unfamiliar with? The “Glossary” section is ready to help! the search function lets you look things up in a snap, while a description, illustrations and links to examples make each term easy to understand.

Wondering what style or type of architecture your favourite building is? The “Building Identification Tool” will make you feel like architecture expert in no time! Select at least three characteristics you see in your building and the tool will find all the possible matching building styles and types in the database. Illustrations and descriptions make it easy to match the architecture and deepen your knowledge.

Finally, bring architecture into the classroom with the website’s “Education Resources” section. Select from 11 different downloadable PDFs for a variety of grades and subjects. Students can begin to examine individual buildings more carefully and discover previously overlooked details and elements in their own neighbourhood or community. Identify the architectural similarities and differences that distinguish one neighbourhood from others. A variety of projects and activities will help students achieve learning outcomes while engaging with the architecture they see everyday!

We hope you will take the time to visit the DiscoverIT website once it launches and enjoy learning about the architecture that makes Winnipeg and the wider community a wonderful place to live. Join us on this journey of discovery from the past to the present, bringing buildings into focus while broadening your appreciation!

DiscoverIT was developed with the support of the Digital Museums Canada investment program. Digital Museums Canada is managed by the Canadian Museum of History, with the financial support of the Government of Canada.