Buildings

Image of the exterior facade of the Eckhardt Gramatte Music Library in the Tache Arts Complex, formerly Tache Residence, at 136 Dafoe Road
Photo of the interior of the Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library in the Taché Arts Complex at 136 Dafoe Road
Image of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Music Library at the University of Manitoba at 136 Dafoe Road

Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library / Taché Arts Complex

Address:136 Dafoe Road
Constructed:1912
Other Work:2015 renovations, LM Architecture Group and Patkau Architects (Vancouver)
Architects:Samuel Hooper
Victor Horwood
Engineers:Crosier Kilgour & Partners (2015 renovations)
Contractors:Bird Construction (2015 renovations)

More Information

In 2015, the Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library moved from its original 1965 location at 65 Dafoe Road to the newly renovated Taché Art Complex at 136 Dafoe Road. Having started as a mere reading room in 1965, the library grew as the program saw higher enrolment rates and more funding. The faculty of music's library was officially named the Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library after a donation by the Eckhardt Gramatté Foundation in 1992. By the early 2000s, the library had far outgrown its small space. Luckily, Project Domino, a 2008 renovation initiative by the University in which one campus building was renovated for a department after which the department's former residence was renovated for the next department to move into, allowed the library an opportunity for more space. In 2010, renovations undertaken by LM Architectural Group and Patkau Architects began on the historic Taché Hall residence, now the Taché Arts Complex, home of the Desautels Faculty of Music, the School of Art and circa 2015, the Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library.

The library's front facade is that of the original 1912 Taché Residence Hall designed by Provincial Architects Sam Hooper and Victor Horwood. The building is comprised of two four-storey wings and a central block. The building's salmon-red brick, Tyndall limestone, cornices, and columns have all been restored, as well as the original terrazzo flooring within the building. The original embossed wall panelling and crown mouldings remain in the listening rooms of the library. The historic Taché Residence is the largest of all the original buildings on campus, although its design is consistent with the others. Taking aspects from Georgian style, the building uses many details of traditional architectural language including its symmetrical twin block towers flanking the entrance, extreme corners given sweeping curves, and entries treated with Tuscan columns. The building also features the red Spanish-tile roof common among the original structures on campus.

The construction team faced many challenges in the old building's restorations and renovations in accommodating the faculty of music and library. Mechanical and electrical systems in the building needed to be replaced to ensure the building's code compliance, resulting in a switch from radiant heat to the use of individual fan coil units in each room. Architects worked with the head librarian of the Eckhardt Gramatté Music Library to ensure the design met all of the facility's requirements.

Design Characteristics

Style:Georgian
  • Salmon-red brick and Tyndall limestone exterior
  • Cornices
  • Tuscan columns
  • Symmetrical twin block towers
  • Red Spanish-tile roof
  • Interior colour palette of black, white, and grey, with a pop of yellow
  • Original wood finishes warm up the cool colour scheme of the interior
  • Restored original terrazzo flooring, embossed wall panelling and crown mouldings

Sources

  • "Eckhardt-Gramatté Music Library: Chronology of a Building Project," Janneka Guise, 2016.