Iconic pavilion a real work of art

Close your eyes and imagine Assiniboine Park.

You’re picturing the pavilion, aren’t you? It is, after all, one of the park’s most recognizable landmarks. Heck, it’s one of Winnipeg’s recognizable landmarks, its iconic bell tower reaching for a blue Prairie sky, Canadian flag flapping in the breeze.

In 2016, the pavilion shut its doors for eight months so it could get a little TLC. The $2.3-million renovation to the pavilion was not scheduled as part of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy’s $200-million redevelopment plan, but, as Trevor Clearwater, the conservancy’s senior director of business development and sales, says: “When you start seeing moisture around priceless works of art, things tend to move a little quicker.”

In 2015, the conservancy noticed water damage in the third-floor Ivan Eyre Gallery, which was the result of condensation build up and a leaky roof. The roof was redone, as well as a complete gutting and redesign of the gallery. From there, an energy efficiency assessment was conducted on the exterior, resulting in new windows and insulation.