/ News
August 7, 2026
Newfound Hope for Marlborough Hotel Redevelopment
Since opening in 1914, the Marlborough Hotel, located at 331 Smith Street, has seen generations of Winnipeggers and visitors pass through its doors for celebrations, conferences, dinners, and overnight stays. It has witnessed the growth of the city, played a role in Canada’s military history, and become an irreplaceable part of Winnipeg’s architectural landscape.
However, when the hotel closed its doors in January 2024, its future became uncertain.
As the months passed, the vacant building showed few signs of a path forward. Like many vacant buildings, it became increasingly vulnerable to vandalism and deterioration from neglect. In the fall of 2025, Heritage Winnipeg began advocating for the conservation of the Marlborough Hotel. Concerned by reports of worrying activity around the vacant property, Heritage Winnipeg submitted a property concern through the City of Winnipeg’s 311 service and contacted the City’s Heritage Planner, who was working with the building owner in the hope of finding a path toward reopening or redevelopment.
At the time, Heritage Winnipeg emphasized that the Marlborough Hotel was far too important to lose. Conserving historic buildings protects Winnipeg’s architectural and cultural heritage and also creates environmental sustainability by adapting existing buildings for new uses.
Originally opened as the Olympia Hotel in November 1914, the building was expanded in 1921 to its present height, becoming one of downtown Winnipeg’s premier hotels. During the First World War, it also served as barracks for Winnipeg’s 184th Battalion.
Perhaps its most nationally significant moment came between November 25 and 27, 1925, when representatives of veterans’ organizations from across Canada gathered at the Marlborough Hotel for the National Unity Conference. During the meeting, they agreed to establish the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League, the organization that would later become today’s Royal Canadian Legion. The conference gave Canada’s veterans a unified national voice in advocating for pensions, medical care, and support for former service members. A commemorative plaque installed at the hotel in 2010 recognizes this important part of Canadian history.
Preserving the Marlborough Hotel also means conserving a place that played a significant role in shaping Canada’s veterans’ movement.
A major turning point came on March 5, 2026, when Mayor Scott Gillingham announced plans to transform the Marlborough Hotel through adaptive reuse.
Led by CentreVenture Development Corporation in partnership with the building owner, the proposed $48-million redevelopment would convert the long-vacant hotel into 307 residential units, including 40 affordable homes, while preserving the building’s historic character. Plans also include restaurants, bars, commercial space, and the restoration of the hotel’s historic banquet facilities, including the iconic Skyview Ballroom.
For Heritage Winnipeg, the announcement represents exactly the type of project that demonstrates the value of adaptive reuse. Rather than demolishing an important heritage building, the proposal would allow the Marlborough Hotel to continue serving Winnipeg in a new way while conserving the embodied energy and craftsmanship already invested in the structure.
The Marlborough Hotel, August 5, 2026. Source: Heritage Winnipeg.
The project also shows a growing understanding that heritage conservation and housing development are not competing priorities. Historic buildings can play an important role in addressing today’s housing needs while strengthening neighbourhoods, reducing environmental impacts, and preserving community identity.
The redevelopment also became an important component of Winnipeg’s broader downtown revitalization strategy.
As part of the City’s Housing Accelerator Fund initiatives, City Council approved up to $5 million through a Heritage Residential Conversion Grant administered by CentreVenture to support the project, subject to conditions including the issuance of a full building permit. The project qualified because it would conserve a designated heritage building while creating new residential housing in the downtown core.
City administration identified the Marlborough Hotel as an opportunity to restore an underutilized heritage building while adding hundreds of homes near frequent transit. Together with other major adaptive reuse projects underway downtown, including the redevelopment of the former Hudson’s Bay Company building and Portage Place, the Marlborough Hotel has the potential to help bring new residents, businesses, and activity back to the city centre.
The City also noted that projects of this scale can act as catalysts for further investment by creating vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods. Progress continued throughout the spring of 2026.
CentreVenture secured additional support for the project through the Heritage Residential Conversion Grant program after determining the Marlborough Hotel also qualified for funding beyond the four projects originally announced under the pilot program.
On March 16, the City of Winnipeg’s Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development approved the closure and sale of the back lane between the Marlborough Hotel and the neighbouring Garrick Theatre. The lane, long associated with vandalism and safety concerns, will allow the two properties to be amalgamated as part of the redevelopment plans.
The redevelopment also includes the preservation of the Marlborough Hotel’s historical legacy. The commemorative plaque recognizing the founding of the Royal Canadian Legion will remain on the property with dedicated space for remembrance, while the historic ballrooms are expected to be restored for continued public use.
Although construction has yet to begin, the Marlborough Hotel’s future looks dramatically different than it did only a year ago.
What was once an empty building with an uncertain future is now poised to become one of Winnipeg’s most significant adaptive reuse projects. By combining heritage conservation with housing, commercial activity, and downtown revitalization, the redevelopment demonstrates how historic places can continue to serve their communities.
The Marlborough Hotel is an encouraging example that advocacy can make a difference. Historic buildings are irreplaceable community assets, and with collaboration, investment, and a commitment to conservation, they can continue evolving to meet the needs of modern cities without losing the stories that make them worth preserving.
As the project moves forward, Heritage Winnipeg will continue to follow and advocate for the redevelopment of the Marlborough Hotel.
