THE EXCHANGE DISTRICT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA COMMEMORATIVE INTEGRITY STATEMENT It is not the individual buildings themselves. but the historical process of bringing together large numbers of heritage structures illustrating important themes within a tightly defined area which makes the Exchange District a distinctive place. Block after block of brick warehouses, rows of financial structures, key groupings of skyscrapers - in total, these built resources evoke a sense of the type of place which Winnipeg was during its most formative years, late in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries, when Winnipeg rose to metropolitan status (Dana Johnson 1996 Historic Sites and Monuments Board Agenda paper). January 10, 2001 Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................ i TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................ii 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1 1.1 National Historic Sites ................................................... 2 1.2 Historic Districts as National Historic Sites................................... 2 1.3 Commemorative Integrity................................................. 3 1.4 Purpose of the Commemorative Integrity Statement ............................ 4 2 THE EXCHANGE DISTRICT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE .................... 5 2.1 National Historic Designation of the Exchange District.......................... 5 2.2 The Exchange District: Historical Overview .................................. 6 3 STATEMENT OF COMMEMORATIVE INTENT ............................ 7 4 DESIGNATED PLACE AND THE CULTURAL RESOURCES OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE ................... 8 4.1 Designated Place........................................................ 9 4.1.1 Objectives for the Designated Place ................................. 12 4.2 Buildings............................................................. 13 4.2.1 Warehouses and Wholesale Trades .................................. 13 4.2.2 Financial Institutions ............................................. 14 4.2.3 Grain Exchange................................................. 16 4.2.4 Manufacturing Trade............................................. 16 4.2.5 Architecturally Significant Buildings ................................ 17 4.2.6 Buildings Objectives ............................................. 17 4.3 Streetscapes ........................................................... 18 4.3.1 Streetscape Objectives ............................................ 19 4.4 Street Elements........................................................ 19 4.4.1 Street Element Objectives ......................................... 19 4.5 Archaeological Resources................................................ 20 4.5.1 Archaeological Resource Objectives................................. 20 4.6 Historic Objects ....................................................... 20 4.6.1 Historic Objects Objectives........................................ 21 5 MESSAGES OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE .............................. 21 5.1 Economic Gateway and Commercial Centre ................................. 21 5.2 Architectural Significance................................................ 24 5.3 Messaging Objectives ................................................... 25 Page ii 6 OTHER HERITAGE VALUES........................................... 25 6.1 Level 2 Built Resources ................................................. 25 6.1.1 Level 2 Built Resources Objectives .................................. 26 6.2 Level 2 Archaeological Resources......................................... 26 6.2.1 Level 2 Archaeological Resources Objectives .......................... 26 6.3 Level 2 Historic Objects................................................. 26 6.3.1 Level 2 Historic Objects Objectives ................................. 27 6.4 Messages of Other Historic Values ......................................... 27 6.4.1 Messages Objectives ............................................. 30 7 ASSOCIATION WITH OTHER HERITAGE PLACES........................ 30 8 GLOSSARY.......................................................... 31 Table 1. List of Buildings in The Exchange District.................................. 34 Table 2. Identification and Description of Streetscapes ................................ 43 Appendix A. Inventory of Streetscapes ............................................ 45 Page iii THE EXCHANGE DISTRICT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA COMMEMORATIVE INTEGRITY STATEMENT 1 INTRODUCTION Confederation Building, a National Historic Site in the Exchange District. Participants in The Exchange District National Historic Site the exercise were: of Canada is a unique, tangible legacy of Winnipeg’s, Manitoba’s, and Canada’s Wayne Copet cultural heritage from the turn of the 20th Executive Director, Exchange District, century. The City of Winnipeg, the Province Business Improvement Zone of Manitoba, and the Government of Canada have therefore agreed that the Exchange Giles Bugailiskis District is a nationally significant place to be Senior Planner (Heritage), Property and protected and presented for the understanding, Development Services Department, City of appreciation and enjoyment of this and future Winnipeg generations of Canadians. The City, the Province and the Government of Canada have Jerry Comeau jointly prepared this Commemorative Manager of Civic Accommodations, Property Integrity Statement to recognize the historic and Development Services Department, City and architectural values which embody and of Winnipeg convey the national significance of this place, a historic district of some 20 city blocks and Neil Einarson more than 100 buildings having historic value Manager of Heritage Buildings, Historic (as of 2000). Respecting these values is Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, integral to ensuring the wholeness and sense Heritage and Citizenship of time and place, that is, the commemorative integrity of the Exchange District. David Firman Architect, Heritage Buildings, Historic This Commemorative Integrity Statement Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, contains liberal amounts of information and Heritage and Citizenship direct quotes from two sources: the 1996 Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Bruce Donaldson Canada (HSMBC) Agenda Paper on the Co-Manager of Provincial Heritage Registry, Exchange District, researched and written by Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Dana Johnson; and, The 1999 Exchange Heritage and Citizenship District National Historic Site Heritage Interpretive Plan, undertaken by the Susan Algie Exchange District Heritage Partnership, and Cost-Share Planner, Western Canada Service principally authored by Shelley Bruce. Centre, Parks Canada The exercise to define the historic values, Bob Coutts cultural resources, and commemorative Historian, Western Canada Service Centre, integrity objectives for the Exchange District, Parks Canada was held from June 9th to 11th, 1999, in the Page 1 Bruce Hoskins 1.2 Historic Districts as National Research Assistant, Parks Canada Historic Sites Kevin Lunn (writer) According to the guidelines of the Historic Management Planner, Western Canada Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Service Centre, Parks Canada historic districts are geographically defined areas which create a special sense of time and Linda Seyers (chair) place through buildings, structures, and open Cultural Resource Management Coordinator, spaces modified by human use and which are Manitoba Field Unit, Parks Canada united by past events and use and/or aesthetically, by architecture and plan. 1.1 National Historic Sites The following criteria are used by the Board There are more than 850 places across the in their consideration of whether to country which form Canada’s family of recommend a district as having national national historic sites. These places symbolize significance: significant elements of our national story - our character, identity and experience. The (1) Historic districts constitute Government of Canada’s objectives for appropriate subjects for national historic sites are to: commemoration, and those of national significance will include one or more C foster knowledge and appreciation of of the following: Canada’s past through a national (a) a group of buildings, program of historical commemoration; structures and open spaces, none of which singly need be C ensure the commemorative integrity of of national architectural national historic sites administered by significance, but which, when Parks Canada by protecting and taken together, comprise a presenting them for the benefit, harmonious representation of education and enjoyment of this and one or more styles or future generations, in a manner that constructions, building types, respects the significant and or periods; irreplaceable legacy represented by (b) a group of buildings, these places and their associated structures and open spaces, resources; and none of which may be of individual historical C encourage and support the protection significance, but which and presentation by others of places of together comprise an national historic significance that are outstanding example of not administered by Parks Canada. structures of technological or social significance; Properties within the district are mostly (b) a group of buildings, privately owned or owned by one of the three structures and open spaces levels of government. Administration of the which share uncommonly zoned district rests with the City