John M. King School

Design Characteristics

• This is an unusual school by design, replacing a much older school from 1905 on a constrained site, so a more contained approach was used to maximize the play area; this is another example of the challenging feat of the Winnipeg School Division replacing an old school by phasing in a new one on the same site, which is something the suburban areas rarely had to do
• John M. King is an elementary school, two storeys in a compact cubic plan that crowds the north end of the site
• It has entirely flat surfaces finished in a red brick, limited window space but with at least one set for each classroom, and a band of deep brown metal around the top of the walls to tie the design together
• The school commemorates the first principal of Manitoba College; the first school carrying this name was part of the present school until its final demolition in 1969
• The new school began with a ground floor of 12 classrooms, a kindergarten space, an art room and a gym; the second floor had 11 classrooms for the older students as well as a music room; the addition on the south end in 1976 contained more kindergarten space, a larger multi-purpose room and a full library
• The original plans show a concrete sunscreen on the south side but this was probably removed when the addition was made on that end in the 1970s (if it was ever built)
• The yard has been revitalized to a pleasant natural space with paths and grass around new and mature trees