Link to:
Photos & Coordinates | Sources
This four-storey building in Winnipeg was based on designs by local architect Gustavo Uriel da Rosa, winner of a competition which saw over 475 entries from around North America. The Iceberg-style structure was built at a cost of about $4.5 million by the Bird Construction Company Limited between 1969 and 1971. Construction was funded, in part, through contributions from the federal government ($500,000), provincial government ($1.25 million), a citizens campaign ($1,076,000), and private donations ($854,000).
The Tyndall-stone building features a roof-level lounge and restaurant, 25,000 square foot main gallery, 300-seat auditorium, lecture and seminar rooms, gift shop, administration space, and storage facilities. To facilitate the handling and display of a vast works and exhibits, the building’s freight elevator measures 26 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 12 feet high. A private viewing was held on 24 September 1971 and the gallery was opened officially by Princess Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon on 25 September during the royal couple’s visit. A crowd of some 3,000 people were on-hand for the opening. During her Royal visit in May 1974, she also unveiled a commemorative plaque was unveiled within the buildings foyer. The facility replaced the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s previous location in the Winnipeg Auditorium and its predecessor in the Industrial Bureau Exposition Building.
Among the items held in the collections of the Winnipeg Art Gallery is a First World War honour roll crafted by artist Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald for the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire.
Winnipeg Art Gallery (January 2015)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Winnipeg Art Gallery (January 2018)
Source: George Penner
Winnipeg Art Gallery (April 2018)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Inuit Art Centre under construction at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (November 2020)
Source: George Penner
Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (March 2021)
Source: George Penner
Princess Margaret unveiling the Winnipeg Art Gallery commemorative plaque (May 1974)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, CH 0276, Government Photographs, GR3552, 74-2840
Winnipeg Art Gallery commemorative plaque (April 2018)
Source: Nathan KramerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88954, W97.15035
denoted by symbol on the map above
Name
Occupation
Service
Rank
Birth Date
Death Date
Samuel Williscraft Carley
[Next of Kin]Salesman
2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles
Private
30 May 1881
12 April 1917
Cecil Ackroyd Falls
[Holy Trinity, Next of Kin]Bank Clerk
3rd Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery
Gunner
15 December 1897
7 November 1917
Hevre Murray Grant MC
[Next of Kin, St. Lukes]Accountant
52nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Captain
29 August 1891
28 October 1917
George David Lynch
[Osler Hammond Nanton, Next of Kin, St. Lukes]Broker
16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Major
17 July 1882
8 October 1916
Student
29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
Student
4 July 1893
19 April 1916
See also:
MHS Centennial Organization: Winnipeg Art Gallery
Memorable Manitobans: Gustavo Uriel da Roza (1933-2022)
Manitoba Organization: Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)
“Calling bids soon for new Art Gallery,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 June 1969, page 3.
“Art Gallery tenders called,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 September 1969, page 34.
[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 14 July 1970, page 20.
[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 August 1970, page 2.
“Princess Margaret here in Sept.” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 July 1971, page 18.
“Princess crosses picket line,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 September 1971, page 1.
“A new era for Manitobans begins ... September 25, 1971,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 September 1971, page 8.
“Today is day one,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 September 1971, page 10.
“Royal visit winds up quietly,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 September 1971, page 12.
“Quiet Royal arrival starts five-day visit to Manitoba,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 May 1974, page 4.
“Highlights from a busy Royal weekend,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 May 1974, page 30.
“Former WAG director dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 May 1995, page 11.
We thank George Penner and Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 May 2023
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