Queen Elizabeth II & Winnipeg: A Modern Elizabethan Era

Introduction

Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Queen of Canada, the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth Realms for 70 years. She toured Canada more than any other country outside of the United Kingdom, visiting Winnipeg more often than Paris or Washington, D.C. Queen Elizabeth granted the first Royal designation of her reign to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1953, and one of her last to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in 2014. Her Majesty’s fondness for Winnipeg went beyond Royal tours or designations and her connections to the city and its people will remain.

Queen Elizabeth’s reign is not defined by a single architectural style, instead it reflects Winnipeg’s emergence as a centre of distinctly Canadian modern design. Innovations in technology and investments in education, health, and culture spurred dramatic change, including confronting historical legacies of colonization.

The ‘Gateway to the West’ has evolved into a thriving centre of arts and culture, renowned for its friendliness and diversity. Winnipeg’s unique architectural landscape, highlighted by impressive modern design and historical restorations, reflects 70 years of immense change—a modern Elizabethan Era.

"I have watched with admiration as familiar European traditions have been enriched by the deep spiritual cultures of the First Nations and by the entrepreneurial and artistic flair of newer communities, coming together in mutual respect…to produce a particular Canadian genius for altruistic openness and reconciliation, enterprise and creativity."

Queen Elizabeth, October 8, 2002

This exhibition was produced with support from the Government of Canada, Department of Canadian Heritage.

Constructed in the late 1950s, local architects incorporated Manitoba’s renowned Tyndall stone with sleek modernist aesthetics. The structure's partially completed frame is visible during Queen Elizabeth’s 1959 visit.

Launching international recognition of local architect Étienne Gaboury, this streamlined design embodies the modernist era. The brise soleil (light diffusing shutters) exemplifies modernist detail and was Winnipeg’s first building designed to be viewed from an automobile perspective.

Under the leadership of Dean John A. Russell, the University of Manitoba’s School of Architecture became known for its pioneering alumni of Canadian modernist designers. The home of Canada’s third-oldest architecture school is bathed in Tyndall stone and glass - a striking example of modernist style.

Showcasing Manitoba’s unique materials, the pairing of Tyndall stone and granite create a prominent anchor to Winnipeg’s Memorial Boulevard. The sweeping modernist facade flanks the street, in a cooperative contrast with its neoclassical neighbour–the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Introducing citizens to the beauty and functionality of exposed concrete, the Pan Am Pool showed that concrete structures can also exhibit warmth and brightness. Designed to host swimming events for the Pan Am Games, it has remained popular for decades.

A large modernist fountain, featuring angular designs and floating concrete paths, anchors the large greenspace on the monumental Memorial Boulevard. The park has become a popular gathering space, hosting Queen Elizabeth for her Golden Jubilee concert and celebrations in 2002.

Featuring Tyndall stone interiors, an expansive council chamber and sweeping colonnades, it marks a sleek departure from the city’s former Victorian-style city hall. These features invite citizens to interact with their civic institutions, a hallmark of modernist design.

Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth to mark Manitoba’s centennial celebrations, the Manitoba Centennial Complex hosts venues designed for the province’s most important cultural institutions. With a concert hall, museum, planetarium, and sunken gardens, it has become an iconic city complex.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery prominently flanks Memorial Boulevard amidst historical counterparts. The modern angular structure uses Tyndall stone to create an appearance as if carved from the streetscape itself. It was officially opened in 1971 on behalf of Queen Elizabeth by her sister Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.

Producing all Canadian coinage with Queen Elizabeth’s portrait, as well as minting coins for many Commonwealth countries, the Royal Canadian Mint unifies architecture and landscapes. Employing glass and steel, this modernist landmark gleams in its own right amongst the natural beauty surrounding it.

Fronted with a neon adaptation of the traditional theatrical flag, this modern theatre building creates an inviting and approachable design through a Brutalist concrete style. RMTC received Queen Elizabeth’s Royal designation in 2010.

A fine example of late-Modernist architecture–later to be embodied in the Centre Pompidou in Paris–Centennial Hall was designed as a ground-scraper, filling in the space between and above existing buildings on the campus. The design reflects shifts in educational policy aimed to increase accessibility to post-secondary institutions.

Containing an 18-foot wide interior ‘street’ surrounded by concrete, steel, and glass, the lab marked a departure for the University of Manitoba campus in building design. The world-class laboratory is located near the Princess Royal Walk, commemorating multiple visits from Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.

Prominently anchoring Graham Avenue and Edmonton Street, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet building houses Canada’s second oldest—and only Royal—ballet company. The building incorporates historic terra cotta motifs and a light-filled atrium.

The tower fills a narrow site at Winnipeg’s famed Portage & Main, rising above a historic bank integrated into the project. Polished stone acts as a link between the two distinct styles. The new structure was refined and sleek— balancing the heritage site with modern expansion.

Part of an effort to improve public access and enjoyment of Winnipeg’s riverbank and outdoor spaces, this interpretive walk was opened by Queen Elizabeth during her 1984 visit. It showcases the history of St. Boniface, the city’s French Quarter.

Celebrating 6,000-years of Indigenous peoples in the area, this amphitheatre reflects the area’s role as the spiritual and ceremonial heart of the Forks. Its name Oodena is Ojibwe for ‘heart of the community’.

During her 2002 Golden Jubilee tour of Winnipeg, Queen Elizabeth visited the historic site for a memorable Royal walkabout through its elevated tiered design. During the boat portion of the tour, she famously became stranded on the Assiniboine River.

Combining nature and art to create a contemplative retreat nestled within Assiniboine Park, the garden is home to a collection of statues by Winnipeg’s renowned sculptor Leo Mol. It features a luminous gallery and the sculptor's historic schoolhouse studio.

Representing a large eagle with outstretched wings, the spiritual centre connects elders with the next generations of Indigenous peoples. Metis-Blackfoot elder and architect Douglas Cardinal designed the project to be a place of healing through traditional practices and knowledges, confronting ongoing legacies of colonization.

Creating a new focal point for Winnipeg’s skyline, the bridge became a vital connection between the city centre and French Quarter. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip met with crowds along the bridge during the 2010 tour, enjoying expansive views of the skyline vastly different than at the start of her reign.

Some of Winnipeg’s earliest remaining architecture was married with a new steel and glass core, reflecting the growing movement to repurpose heritage buildings. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh opened the campus, a modernized jewel for the world-renowned Exchange District.

Termed a ‘living building’, the tower reflects the growing importance of environmentalism in architecture. In 2009, it was recognized as being one of the most energy-efficient office towers in the world.

A sweeping glass roofline echoes the prairie landscape. The main concourse features Queen’s Court, displaying an illuminated time capsule sealed by Queen Elizabeth. It contains her personal letter to the youth of Manitoba along with a gift, to be opened in 2060.

Union Station is one of the finest examples of a Beaux-Arts-style railway station in Canada. Careful restoration in 2014 brought the structure into the 21st century. This rehabilitation proves that the greenest buildings are the ones we already have. The station remains a vital link between the city centre and The Forks.

The colossal glass structure rises from a Tyndall stone base, surrounded by tallgrass prairie landscapes. Queen Elizabeth laid the cornerstone on July 3, 2010. That stone was brought from Runnymede, England, where the Magna Carta, one of the world’s first charters of individual freedoms, was signed 800 years earlier.

The Late-Modern style gardens and urban courtyard were originally opened in 1970 by Queen Elizabeth and renewed in 2012. Sculpted Tyndall stone seating was added; the planting design developed with the curator of botany at the Manitoba Museum acts as a teaching tool.

Opened just months before Queen Elizabeth’s death, the organization was one of the last to be granted Royal designation by Her Majesty. The building features six suspended airplanes, a dramatic welcome for visitors landing in Winnipeg.

Marrying the historic Scott Fruit Building from 1914 with a modern centre of innovation, the building and name reflect both the cultural intent of the space and its design. The building’s name is Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) for “where Creator sits, brings light”.

The conservatory and gardens bring the role of ecosystems front and centre, displaying specimens within a landmark biodome which adapts to the prairie climate. It features Canada’s largest indoor waterfall–six-storeys high. Queen Elizabeth toured the park in 1959, gifting animals to the zoo, cementing its place as a city landmark.