Boy With The Boot, libraries get heritage status

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This article was published 04/07/2024 (526 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A well-known statue, multiple public libraries and a notable pavilion will now be protected as heritage resources.

The city’s property and development committee voted Thursday to add several properties and a statue to its historical resources list, which will protect them against demolition or destruction.

The Boy With the Boot, a 140-kilogram, 1.2-metre tall bronze statue that depicts a small boy holding a leaking boot and served as one of Winnipeg’s earliest public fountains, is the second statue to be granted heritage protection, which is mostly used to preserve buildings.

The statue was first erected in 1898 at a former city hall building but moved to Assiniboine Park by 1913, where it now stands in the English Garden.

The Belgian War Memorial statue on Provencher Boulevard is the other statue to be granted heritage protection.

Prior to the vote, Coun. Sherri Rollins said she planned to support all of the designations.

“Some of them, like the Boy with the Boot, are beloved and these are buildings and gifts to the city that Winnipeggers love,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry), chairwoman of the property and development committee.

The committee also approved the heritage protection for the Peguis Pavilion at Kildonan Park and surrounding green space, Fort Garry Library, St. Boniface Public Library – Coronation Park Branch, St. Boniface Public Library – Provencher Park Branch, and Customs Examining Warehouse.

The committee’s vote are final, since the city is the owner of all of the above properties and did not oppose the designations, Rollins said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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