Winnipeg Modern Architecture, 1945–1975

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Among Canadian cities, Winnipeg was ranked fourth for high-quality
modern buildings in the 1960s and ’70s. Homes, shopping malls,
schools, hospitals, office towers, university buildings, the airport,
government buildings, banks, even churches and grain-storage bins
appeared in the modernist style, transforming Winnipeg into a centre of
interest and study by architects from around the world.

Modernist architecture is characterized by simplicity, “clear and
orderly” design without decoration. The objective is a unified look of
“abstracted forms, transparency, and spacial flow.” It stresses
functional design, simplicity in interior spaces, and while drawing
inspiration from the setting must also recognize the city’s extreme
weather. Steel and glass are the materials of choice, with ample use of
a local product known as Tyndall stone. They are designs that reject the
past and celebrate change.

This anthology reviews the visual transformation of Winnipeg, starting
with the pent-up demand for housing and public spaces following World
War II. The text consists of eight essays. These introduce the key
players in architectural circles of the period, give profiles of
specific big-name architects (such as Gustavo Uriel Da Roza and Йtienne
Gaboury), and detail the design of specific buildings or projects (such
as the airport and the university). Other articles discuss the growth of
the financial district, the suburbs, and public housing areas in the
city core.

More than 300 photos and drawings show many of the modernist buildings.
Most are black-and-white shots and quite small. The exception is a photo
essay of 13 colour shots intended to capture the life and vitality of a
few choice buildings, thus balancing the formality of the extensive
black-and-white catalogue.

Biographies of the architects and designers, notes on sources, and a
bibliography add to the validity of this reference work.