Looking back: Manitoba Legislative Building construction Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2020 Last Modified: 12:19 AM CDT Thursday, Jul. 16, 2020

In 1911, the Manitoba government announced a competition to design a new, third legislature, open to all architects in the Dominion. First prize: $10,000 -- that would be the equivalent of more than $230,000 today.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2020 (1528 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 1911, the Manitoba government announced a competition to design a new, third legislature, open to all architects in the Dominion. First prize: $10,000 — that would be the equivalent of more than $230,000 today.

Legislature centennial, Manitoba sesquicentennial marked

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Manitoba 150 time capsule.

Posted: 6:42 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2020

On July 15, 1920, when the Manitoba Legislative Building formally opened, the province — like much of the rest of the world — was experiencing social upheaval and still recovering from a pandemic, not to mention a devastating war.

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Sixty-seven designs were submitted, and the winner was Frank Worthington Simon and Henry Boddington III of Liverpool, England.

Winning design for the Legislative Building, 1912 (Archives of Manitoba)

Construction began on the Manitoba Legislative Building in the summer of 1913, although it was delayed by shortages brought on by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Construction was completed in Feburary of 1920, and the building was dedicated with much fanfare on on July 15 of that year, the 50th anniversary of Manitoba joining Confederation.

The legislative building is so ornate, so rich in masonry that the cost of construction in today’s dollars would be prohibitive. Still, the structure adorned by a Golden Boy embodies both the literal and optimistic wealth of a time not seen in Manitoba prior or since.

The blueprint for the area also included a Mall of Triumph, where a new, palatial city hall – designed but never built – was to be erected on what is now Memorial Boulevard. The city hall would have been a six storey, grey Kenora granite structure, based on the design of Buckingham Palace, at an estimated cost of $2.4 million (in 1913 dollars). (Archives of Manitoba)

In 1913, Saskatchewan artist James Henderson drew up these City Beautiful-inspired plans for Winnipeg's legislature grounds, Broadway and what is now Memorial Boulevard.

Excavation of Manitoba Legislative Building in 1913 (Archives of Manitoba).

Legislature construction site in March 1915 (Archives of Manitoba).

Construction in March 1915 (Archives of Manitoba).

The construction crew in 1915 (Archives of Manitoba).

The construction site in June 1916 (Archives of Manitoba).

Construction in June 1916 (Archives of Manitoba).

A view of the project from the south side in October 1915 (Archives of Manitoba).

A view of the construction site from St. Stephens Church in May 1917. The city's second legislative building, which was demolished when the current one was completed, is in the foreground. (Archives of Manitoba).

Construction of the legislature's interior in June 1917. (Archives of Manitoba).

A large pile of Tyndall stone at the construction site in June 1917(Archives of Manitoba).

Interior construction in June 1917 (Archives of Manitoba).

Interior construction in July 1917 (Archives of Manitoba).

Interior construction in October 1917 (Archives of Manitoba).

Workers construct the base of the dome in 1918 (Archives of Manitoba).

Construction of the dome in 1918 (Archives of Manitoba).

The Golden Boy is hoisted onto the dome in November 1919 (Archives of Manitoba).

The legislature is completed in 1920 (Archives of Manitoba).

From the air: The Manitoba Legislative Building

In 2014 the Winnipeg Free Press captured the legislative building, including an extreme close-up of the Golden Boy, from the air as part of our City Beautiful project, which examined the city’s architectural history.