This four-acre site, in Winnipeg on Notre Dame Avenue between Victor and McGee Streets, was one of the original eight parcels of land purchased in 1893-1894 by the city’s first Parks Board to establish a park system. The southeast corner of Notre Dame Park became home to the city’s plant nursery and greenhouses under supervision of the first Park Superintendent and City Gardener David D. England. Tens of thousands of elm trees were grown here before being transplanted to the city’s parks and boulevards.
On 25 August 2000 the city renamed the park in honour former city alderman Jacob Penner. A commemorative plaque located in the northwest corner of the park reads “Jacob Penner, city alderman 1934-1962. He dedicated himself to the people of the city he loved so well.” In 2013 the park received $225,000 in upgrades, including new sod, furniture, and a skateboard bowl.
Jacob Penner Park (2013)
Source: Christian Cassidy
Jacob Penner Park (2013)
Source: Christian Cassidy
Penner commerative plaque (2013)
Source: Christian Cassidy
Entrance to Penner Park (September 2024)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90193, W97.16188
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Jacob Penner (1880-1965)
“The Most Lovely and Picturesque City in All of Canada”: The Origins of Winnipeg’s Public Park System by John Selwood, John C. Lehr and Mary Cavett
Manitoba History, Number 31, Spring 1996
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
Jacob Penner Park, Winnipeg Downtown Places.
We thank George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Christian Cassidy and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 November 2024
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