Designated Heritage Buildings /Virden Municipal Building and Auditorium - 236 Wellington Street W

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: