Around 1981, this barn on the Fort Garry Campus of the University of Manitoba, built in 1913 by the Progress Construction Company, was featured in a Manitoba Co-operator series on farm architecture. The original caption for the photograph is given below.
This handsome 104-foot by 41-foot structure, designed under the direction of provincial architect V. W. Horwood and built in 1913, it is said to be one of very few remaining barns in the province that can claim to have been professionally designed. The red brick walls include a 60-foot by 36-foot wing. The overall barn was used mainly for dairy activities. Later, the barn accommodated 32 milk cows in stanchions, plus pens for other livestock, and featured large 20-foot 8-inch by 8-inch vertical timbers in its main framing. However, like farming elsewhere, things have changed for this barn. In 1975 it was transferred to the Faculty of Arts, with renovations to the lower levels and exterior completed in 1975 and to the loft areas in 1977. It is now used for student fine arts labs and display areas.
As of 2014, the barn was still in use although it has been renovated extensively.
Agricultural College Barn (circa 1981)
Source: Bob Hainstock
Agricultural College Barn (January 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Agricultural College Barn (January 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Agricultural College Barn (April 2021)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.80645, W97.13471
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Victor William Horwood (1878-1939)
Manitoba Business: Progress Construction Company / Bockstael Construction Company
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Agricultural College / University of Manitoba (Fort Garry Campus, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Co-operator Rural Buildings Series
The Manitoba Provincial Architect's Office (1904-1916) by Erin A. M. Booth, MA Thesis, University of Winnipeg, November 1994, footnote #228.
We thank Rose Kuzina and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 June 2024
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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