Landmarks Unique and iconic Winnipeg locations

Landmarks is a monthly feature in which columnist Alison Gillmor explores unique and iconic Winnipeg buildings and locations.  

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Landmarks is a monthly feature in which columnist Alison Gillmor explores unique and iconic Winnipeg buildings and locations.  

 


 

Polo Park has weathered the whims of consumer culture

Winnipeg Free Press file
Polo Park reopened after a refurbishment on Aug. 13, 1986.

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In a strange twist of design history, the man who helped develop the North American shopping mall, Vienna-born architect and planner Victor Gruen, later repudiated it.

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Quirky Fort Garry neighbourhood combines urban planning and nature

Jodi Pratt cross country skiing in Wildwood Park, Sunday, April 14, 2013. (TREVOR HAGAN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

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In popular culture, planned suburban subdivisions are often used as a kind of visual shorthand for conformity and rigidity, for the slow death of the soul. Suburbia, at least according to the movies and TV, is bland, beige and uniform.

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Circular condo building looks spacey, but shape is grounded in practicality

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
The 62M Condo is project located on MacDonald Avenue near the Disraeli Bridge.

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I’m always interested in buildings that get nicknames. Usually these monikers indicate affection, occasionally the opposite, but they always mean people are paying attention.

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Précieux-Sang church fuses together modernist design and religious renewal

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. This is the 50th year of worship inside the unusual building.

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On my way to visit l’ Eglise du Précieux-Sang in St. Boniface, I got lost. There was road construction, and I somehow missed my turn. I managed to find my way, though, when I glimpsed that distinctive spiralling roofline in the distance.

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WAG's angular architecture combines form, function in a building both timeless and of its time

ken gigliotti  winnipeg free press  dec4 2002 feature on wpg architecture- Winnipeg Art Gallery WAG ,(old beater cars parked  at base  could not get better shot as building is underconstruction )-kg

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Asked to talk about the Winnipeg Art Gallery building, Stephen Borys pauses for a moment.

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Luxuries, amenities put to many uses during life of Academy Road building

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Winnipeg architect Max Blankstein’s design for the Uptown Theatre referenced the Moorish style, using architectural elements from the western Islamic world mixed with some Spanish forms.

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The Uptown Lofts, once the Academy Uptown Lanes and before that the Uptown Theatre, remind us that buildings can have long, varied and sometimes unexpected lives. The recent mixed-use renovation, which combines commercial spaces and residential apartments, is sleek, clean and contemporary, but it rests on layers of local memory and architectural fantasy.

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The Fort Garry Hotel hearkens back to a more glamorous time

The Fort Garry Hotel was one of the tallest buildings in Winnipeg when it was constructed in 1913. (City of Winnipeg archives)

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When you’re wedged into a middle seat on a packed airplane, sustained only by bad coffee and a packet of pretzels, glamorous travel can seem like an impossible dream.

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Curvy, confident Winnipeg Clinic appears to be reaching for a better tomorrow

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The Winnipeg Clinic with Its distinctive curved lines and layered canopies make it a familiar landmark in Winnipeg’s downtown.

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Nicknames can be a sign of fondness and familiarity, so it means something that people often affectionately call the Winnipeg Clinic “the Jetsons building.”

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Alison Gillmor

Alison Gillmor
Writer

Studying at the University of Winnipeg and later Toronto’s York University, Alison Gillmor planned to become an art historian. She ended up catching the journalism bug when she started as visual arts reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press in 1992.

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Performance (ice-cream) art

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Performance (ice-cream) art

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020

As 2020 resolutions counter temptation, Teri-Lynn Friesen and Élise Page will be waiting to console those who slip — and they’ll have ice-cream scoops at the ready.

Late last year, the creative duo opened Fête — Winnipeg’s newest coffee and ice-cream parlour, offering an ever-changing menu of 16 made-in-house ice-cream flavours, affogato and, if it’s Sunday morning, pancakes.

There’s also no pressure to pick a flavour at first sight; the shop offers unlimited samples.

“If you gave up coffee, we’re here for you when you need to come back. If you gave up sweets, we’re also here for you,” said Friesen, co-owner of the shop at 300 Assiniboine Ave.

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Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020

State of emergency declared after unprecedented October snowfall

Ryan Thorpe 5 minute read Preview

State of emergency declared after unprecedented October snowfall

Ryan Thorpe 5 minute read Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019

Premier Brian Pallister has declared a state of emergency in response to a massive snowstorm that slammed Manitoba heading into the Thanksgiving weekend.

“I have spoken to Manitoba Hydro and they have officially made a request to declare a state of emergency, which gives them the power to access additional resources, supplies, materials,” Pallister said.

“(This will help) restore power as quick as possible. We’ll be proceeding to grant that request.”

The storm knocked down hundreds of power lines and forced the closure of dozens of highways. More snow fell on Winnipeg than the city has had in all of October in any single year.

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Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019

Dominant Vlhova snaps Shiffrin’s winning slalom streak

Eric Willemsen, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Dominant Vlhova snaps Shiffrin’s winning slalom streak

Eric Willemsen, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia - Mikaela Shiffrin hugged her biggest rival in slalom for a few seconds and gave her some pats on the back.

Just beaten by Petra Vlhova in the first women’s World Cup race of 2020 on Saturday, the American three-time overall champion was gracious in defeat after seeing her winning streak in slaloms, which had lasted for almost a year, ended by the Slovakian skier.

“Petra just did an amazing job both runs. She skied really well today. That’s the fight and it is really an honour to be part of that,” Shiffrin said.

Building on a big lead of more than one second from the first leg, Vlhova was also the fastest in the final run to extend her advantage over Shiffrin to 1.31 seconds.

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Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020

Fact Check

1 minute read Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

Fact Check

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Bishnoi Gang active in Manitoba

Erik Pindera 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

The Bishnoi Gang, which is run by a convicted gangster from his prison cell in India, appears to have gained a foothold in Manitoba.

A civil forfeiture lawsuit filed in the Court of King’s Bench this month has revealed a 36-year-old man, who was arrested this year, had claimed he is a member of the Bishnoi Gang when he tried to extort cash from a Winnipeg resident.

Arshdeep Singh Brar was arrested by Winnipeg Police Service officers in Headingley on March 3 and charged with extortion and two firearms offences, says the claim.

The victim, identified in the court documents as a man of South Asian descent, had gone to police.

Letters, July 20

6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

A reality check for civic leaders

Re: What happened to public service? (Think Tank, July 17)

Erna Buffie’s recent commentary was a breath of fresh air and a much-needed reality check for our city’s leadership. I strongly support her assertion that true public service requires prioritizing people, communities and the environment over an outdated, debt-fuelled model of endless expansion. Cities of the future should be planning for sustainable projects that benefit everyone, rather than catering to developers at the expense of our existing neighbourhoods.

It is incredibly frustrating to see our leaders push for outrageous projects like the Chief Peguis and Kenaston expansions. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on more roads will do little to reduce congestion — thanks to the well-documented reality of induced demand — while simultaneously piling onto Winnipeg’s generational debt.