‘Bodies’ coming downtown

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This article was published 12/08/2010 (5622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A long-neglected downtown building will be getting a flashy makeover — and some real entertainment muscle — in coming weeks.

The MTS Centre announced Wednesday it clinched a deal with CentreVenture, the city’s arm’s-length downtown developer, to turn the empty building at 311 Portage Ave. into a slick new exhibition hall. The temporary lease, which gives the MTS Centre a space to bring touring exhibits to Winnipeg’s downtown, will be in effect for at least six months.

First show to fill the floors at the former A&B Sound building? The touring anatomical spectacular Bodies: The Exhibition, which features real human corpses, preserved by chemicals that turn flesh into a rubber-like substance, intricately dissected to reveal the inner workings of nerve, muscle, organ and bone systems.

The bodies, which are obtained as medical specimens from China, are put into lifelike poses across nine galleries, highlighting the complex workings of the human machine. The show is one of several popular anatomy-baring exhibits.

Bodies: The Exhibition will open Sept. 17 and run until Jan. 9. At a press conference, representatives of True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., owner of the MTS Centre, said they expect about 200,000 people to view the exhibition. If it proves even more popular, True North has an option to keep the show open for up to 20 extra days.

But getting the building ready for the show will take some work. Crews have already started giving the building a facelift and cleaning it after six years of sitting vacant. The exterior will be wrapped in MTS Centre signage and the inside will be opened up to allow two open, 11,000-square- foot floors for the exhibit.

The cost for the renovations will be in the "low six figures," True North president Jim Ludlow said.

"When you look at what we think the (Bodies) show can do, that is a reasonable expense to bring it here," Ludlow said, noting the building is in "pretty good shape" and doesn’t need major structural repairs.

That’s good news, considering there is more work to do after Bodies is gone: Organizers are already planning a second exhibition after Bodies closes, but offered few details Wednesday, hinting only that it would be another touring show that is suited for a 100-day run or longer.

The chance to lease the space from CentreVenture came just at the right time. When Bodies was up for grabs, "the challenge of finding a high-profile street location for a limited time seemed difficult to accomplish," said MTS Centre general manager Kevin Donnelly, calling the opportunity to take over the building "nothing short of serendipitous."

The exhibition hall won’t be the last stop for the old A&B Sound building. CentreVenture acquired the two-floor space earlier this year. In June, reports began surfacing that a boutique hotel was in the works for the site, perhaps developed by the Chipman family’s Longboat Properties.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Ludlow confirmed the exhibition hall was an "interim step" in the site’s planned 2011 redevelopment. "There’s a higher and better use ultimately for that block," he said. If it does go to redevelopment next year, MTS Centre officials will keep an eye out for other exhibition chances, but aren’t planning for a permanent space.

"We would look to find opportunities," Ludlow said. "(These exhibitions) come up like stadium shows do — they only come up infrequently. But when they do, we’d like to capitalize on them."

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca