Designated Heritage
Buildings /Virden
Municipal
Building and Auditorium - 236 Wellington Street W
![](../../images/barh.gif)
Building
Code |
574.A.1 |
Construction
Date |
1912 |
Origins |
|
Description
|
The Virden
Municipal Building and Auditorium is a multi-storey
brick-veneer
edifice constructed in 1911-12, adjoined by a complementary recent
addition.
Located on a secondary street in Virden's commercial district, the
complex
stands out from the surrounding shops and services with its sprawling
expanse
and decorative facade. The site's provincial designation applies to the
building
and the lots upon which it sits. |
Heritage
Value
|
The Virden
Municipal Building and Auditorium is an ambitious and
increasingly
rare example of the type of live performance venue popular in
Manitoba's
urban centres in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Initially built to
house
three major functions, including municipal offices and a courtroom, the
structure's
enduring role has been as an opera house. The auditorium of the
Neo-Classical-style
facility, designed by architect W.A. Elliott of Brandon, is more
substantial
in size and appointments than the typical opera house found in smaller
communities.
Of particular note are its spacious layout, outstanding acoustical
qualities,
fixed seating for 500, including double-decker loges and tasteful
classical
detailing. The auditorium has been restored as an important regional
amenity
for live performances and public events, one that represents an era of
unrestrained
pioneering aspirations in Virden. Source: Manitoba Heritage Council
Minute,
December 7, 1985
|
Character
Defining
Elements |
Key elements
that define the site's heritage character include:
- the complex's location on the north side of Wellington Street in
Virden,
amongst other businesses and services, and its occupation of the site
up
to the public sidewalks
Key elements of the building's Neo-Classical exterior include:
- the multiple rectangular volumes of brick veneer over wood-frame
construction
with flat or truncated roofs, rising in height from two storeys on the
south
elevation to three storeys in the rear above the theatre
- the symmetrical Wellington Street facade composed of identical,
slightly
projecting bays at either end, each featuring pedimented parapets, a
pair
of rectangular windows with brick keystones and lintels, and a recessed
entrance
with glazed wooden double doors, a small wooden cornice and a transom
- rectangular openings throughout, with the second-storey windows
featuring
continuous limestone sills and brick lintels, rhythmically placed to
give
a sense of order and repetition- the other facades very plain and
functional,
with one bull's eye window on the east facade and fire exits in the
east
and northwest corners
- the details, including a modillioned galvanized iron cornice, brick
diamond
insets and a limestone date stone above the cornice, pilaster capitals
and
bases of limestone, a prominent brick chimney, etc.
Key elements that define the building's function and layout include:
- the formal plan with spaces accessed
off a rectangular lobby,
including
the `megaphone'-shaped auditorium and robust oak stairway in the
northeast
corner
- the auditorium composed of the theatre floor sloping down to the
stage
and orchestra pit, and a balcony curving dramatically across the width
of
the theatre, complete with decorative woodwork and alcove sections in
the
rear
- the stage featuring a massive proscenium arch, double-decker loges on
each
side and dressing rooms housed in the basement- the details, including
fixed
upholstered seats highly ornamented at the row ends by cast-iron
scrollwork,
a curtain of Russian silk hand-painted with an exotic Mediterranean
shipping
scene, pressed tin ceilings, pilasters, wooden floors throughout, etc. |
Site
History |
The Fire Hall
was located on part of the site |
Additional
Information |
Click Here to
contribute your comments, corrections, stories and photos:
|
|
|
|