After being demolished, some of Winnipeg’s oldest buildings are coming back to life.
Bits and pieces of Winnipeg’s historic downtown buildings have made their way from a farmers field near Birds Hill, to the front steps of Shelmerdine’s Garden Centre. On them, a price tag, for customers to purchase.
“These pieces have no home now, so it’s time to give them a home maybe,” said Michael Koch-Schulte, a customer walking through the new Shard Yard exhibit.
Everything from post office pillars to old hotel signage is ready to be picked up and put on display. The buildings date back to the late 1800’s, and range from a price of $750 to $10,000.
“They’re absolutely beautiful pieces of our heritage that really don’t deserve to be overlooked, they deserve to be honored, and be amongst our normal everyday life,” said president of Shelmerdine Garden Centre Nicole Bent.
Heritage Winnipeg had been looking for a place to showcase the piles of shard, and said, having them available for purchase is an opportunity people won’t want to miss.
“It’s part of your city, part of your history. It’s nice to be able to have something in your backyard or in your garden and say ‘hey, that’s a 100-year-old, 110-year-old piece,” said Greg Agnew, a director at Heritage Winnipeg.
Shelmerdine Garden Centre made a donation to transport the pieces to their location on Roblin Blvd. They will receive all the profits from shard sales.
