A Decade of Downtown Excitement in Winnipeg

Posted on January 3, 2010 by UWinnipegDCE

Downtown Winnipeg experienced exciting growth over the last decade. With the start of a new decade, we thought it might be nice to look at some of the projects started or completed in the past 10 years.

It’s hard to miss the opening of our new arena, the MTS Centre, at the end of 2004 as well as Manitoba Hydro Place that officially opened in the fall of 2009.

The construction of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has started and it is due to open sometime in 2012.

The Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge as well as the Provencher Bridge were completed in 2003, creating a new landmark that is seen on postcards and other related promotional material from Winnipeg. You can’t miss the Salisbury House restaurant!

The Winnipeg Millennium Library (previously known as the Centennial Library) re-opened on November 8, 2005 after extensive renovations to the popular library.

The Plaza Skatepark, located at The Forks, came to life for skateboarders young and old when Tony Hawk visited it in 2006 to film scenes for a movie.

While not exactly ‘construction’ in the traditional way, The Forks was recognized as the home of the longest skating rink in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008.

The Winnipeg International Airport is going through major renovations, including the addition of the new bus depot that opened in 2009. The University of Winnipeg purchased the former Greyhound Bus Depot at 491 Portage Avenue and will be developing that area in the future with a community bookstore and more classroom space.

The exterior restoration of the University’s flagship building, Wesley Hall, was completed and gave the area a fresh look and feel, generating excitement and attention again.

The McFeetors Hall (Great-West Life Student Residence) was built on the UWinnipeg western Furby-Langside Campus. Housing 176 students and 25 student families, it features geo-thermal heating and high-energy efficiency.

The new Science Complex and Richardson College for the Environment will include classrooms and research laboratories for biology, chemistry and environmental studies. Construction started in the summer of 2009 and should be completed in 2011.

The fall of 2009 saw the opening of the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association Day Care. Located next to the McFeetors Hall, it can serve more than 100 children.

The United Army Surplus may be gone, but construction has begun on the new University of Winnipeg Division of Continuing Education building at 460 Portage Avenue! A stone’s throw from main campus, this building will also house the Plug-In Institute of Contemporary Art.

There are probably many other downtown projects not mentioned here; feel free to add them in the comments!

References:

Filed under: General, Winnipeg | Comments Off on A Decade of Downtown Excitement in Winnipeg

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 5 other subscribers

  • Meta

  • Delicious Bookmarks