The Official Blog of Heritage Winnipeg

Earlier this summer, some of us at Heritage Winnipeg had the pleasure of visiting Dalnavert Museum and Visitor's Centre at 61 Carlton Street to experience the wonders of a Victorian house. Truly a step back in time, Dalnavert exceeded expectations and is certainly one of the city's heritage treasures. Whether you opt for the guided tour or the audio tour, this outstanding immersive experience will transport you back to a completely different era.



Dalnavert House was built in the late Victorian era in 1895, for Hugh John Macdonald, his second wife, Agnes Macdonald, and the children Isabella "Daisy" Macdonald (daughter with his first wife) and John Alexander "Jack" Macdonald. Although Hugh John was a prominent politician and lawyer in Winnipeg, he was often associated with his famous father John A. Macdonald. In one of the touching moments in the audio play, we learn that John A. Macdonald, statesman and Father of Confederation, had a soft spot for his highl…

Heritage Winnipeg is a not-for-profit charitable organization that promotes the restoration, rehabilitation, and preservation of Winnipeg's built heritage. The Heritage Winnipeg office is currently located at 509-63 Albert Street in the heart of the west Exchange District, a national historic site. Since its formation in 1978, Heritage Winnipeg has been instrumental in saving historic buildings and encouraging new development that respects heritage character-defining elements. This July 24th, 2018, our organization celebrates its 40th anniversary since incorporation.  


In the mid-20th century, a 'perfect storm' of different factors was brewing. Economic uptick and optimism after the end of the Second World War prompted expansion on all fronts. Downtown areas, which had been trooping on faithfully and functionally during the war, started to get the calculating eye from city planners and developers. More efficient - more beautiful - more modern downtown spaces and buildings …

The International Harvester Building is located at 782 Main Street on North Main, which was created after the arrival of the railroad in 1882. Built in 1904, the building is currently being recommended for heritage designation. 



One of John A. Macdonald's visions for the new nation of Canada was to have a railroad stretching across the vast country from the east to the west. The railroad would decrease transportation costs, usher in economic growth, and allow the export of Canada's many natural resources. To build the railroad, Macdonald had applied to private companies and British officials alike to fund its construction, as a condition of British Columbia joining the newly-formed nation of Canada in 1871. The construction of the railroad was rife with controversy, including the seizure of Indigenous land through the Numbered Treaties, the terms of which are still unfulfilled, and the employment of, but later discrimination against, Chinese men.

Despite the geographical diffi…

Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park (at the southwest corner of Broadway and Main Street) is built on the site of the original Upper Fort Garry and is the birthplace of Manitoba. It is recognized as a federal, provincial, and municipal heritage site based on the importance of the fort itself to Canadian history, as well as the numerous historical events that happened there. The story of Upper Fort Garry is very much a story of the fur trade, of early Canadian immigration, of Indigenous peoples, of the formation of our country and of the beginning of our province and city.


The year is 1806. France is ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, and George III is King of England. Noah Webster has just published the very first dictionary of American English, composer Joseph Haydn died, and Canada did not really exist - at least, not like we know it. There is an Anglophone British Upper Canada, and a Francophone Lower Canada. The land that would eventually become Manitoba was still part of the vast Rupert&#…