Safeguarding Winnipeg’s history

The City of Winnipeg is making progress on a project designed to safeguard its history.

Construction on the redevelopment of the historic Carnegie Library into a new home for the city’s archives is now about one-third complete, bringing the collection one step closer to returning to the landmark building that housed it for decades.

The archives serves as Winnipeg’s official repository for records of enduring historical and administrative value, preserving everything from municipal records and photographs to maps, plans and community artifacts.

The Carnegie Library, located at 380 William Ave., is a fitting home for the collection. Opened in 1905 as Winnipeg’s first purpose-built library, the heritage building housed the city archives from 1977 until 2013, when rain damage forced the collection to relocate to a temporary facility at 50 Myrtle St.

“We always think of archives not just as preserving the past, but as essential civic infrastructure, and that’s what this building is,” said Konrad Krahn, a city archivist.

“It supports democracy and accountability by preserving the records of government actions, it promotes transparency by making records freely available to the public again and it supports collective memory and community building by preserving and sharing our stories.”

While the Myrtle Street location was intended as a short-term solution, assessing the extent of the rain damage and determining a permanent home for the archives took years of study and public consultation.

Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said the current facility is not well-suited for the archives because it has limited storage space, making it difficult for the collection to grow. The location in the West Alexander area is also not ideal for public access.

“When you waited almost 15 years to see the plan finally accepted and the money designated by council, the mayor, it’s been a long journey,” Tugwell said. “And we were holding our breath, and constantly pushing for them to make a decision and so now this is the easy part, watching them do all the work that’s needed to spend that money to get it reopened.”

In 2023, city council officially approved the redevelopment of 380 William Ave. as part of the Winnipeg 150 Legacy Project. The construction contract was awarded last July and work started in October. The project is budgeted at more than $22 million.

So far, construction has focused on extensive structural upgrades aimed at “future-proofing” the 125-year-old building for long-term archival use. Crews are installing nearly 60,000 kilograms of steel shelving to support the collection, along with new mechanical systems to regulate temperature and humidity, provide fire protection and improve flood resilience.

At the same time, work is being carried out to protect and preserve the building’s heritage features, including original columns, mouldings, windows and the building’s terrazzo stairwell.

“This is the first time we’ll be able to actually protect our treasured records and we’ll be made able to preserve them for future generations to come,” Krahn said.

As the project has progressed, crews have also uncovered artifacts hidden within the structure, offering a glimpse into the building’s layered history. Finds include an ether canister used in pre-surgical anesthetic procedures, a 1912 newspaper embedded within a wall, a political campaign poster and electrical equipment believed to date back to Winnipeg’s early streetcar era.

Tugwell said the archives show how Winnipeg was shaped through civic decisions, community advocacy and everyday life. From council minutes to records of parks, infrastructure and public projects, she said the collection helps explain how the city developed and who was involved. She added that it is also a key resource for researchers, newcomers and storytellers trying to understand Winnipeg’s history in context.

“History and heritage are pretty important to our city,” she said. “We should embrace that. Winnipeg has got an amazing history.”

The redeveloped building will include space for public programming and research, along with areas to support reconciliation activities such as smudging, ceremonies and cultural displays.

It’s anticipated construction will wrap up in 2027. Once complete, the careful work of moving the city’s archival collection back into the building will begin.

“The thing that I’m most excited about is opening our doors that first day, when citizens can come in and see the treasures that are there,” Krahn said.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca