Exploring the Queen's connection to Winnipeg's architecture

Inside Union Station, there is a new exhibit looking at Queen Elizabeth II's influence on Winnipeg's and Canada's architecture.

The exhibit explores architecture throughout the Queen's 70-year reign.

"It's a very unique way to look back on 70 years," said Daniel Guenther, the curator of the exhibit. "If you look back on other periods, if you think of the first Elizabethan era, or the Edwardian or the Tudor era, you realize 70 years, as we know it now, is a very historic time period."

Guenther said as he started to dive into the city's history he noticed how unique its architecture is, adding the Queen had quite a connection to Winnipeg.

"She visited Winnipeg six times, which is more than most major world capitals. So you could say she had a unique fondness for our city and visited many buildings, opened buildings and has deep connections with a lot of organizations which also bear royal designation," he said.

"The very first royal designation that she granted as Queen in 1952 was to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and one of the last of her reign was granted to our aviation museum, which is now the Royal Aviation Museum located out at the airport."

He added while she had deep connections to the architecture in Winnipeg, she was also connected to the organizations that use them.

Looking at Canada as a whole, Guenther said the Queen had a lot of influence on the country's development.

"Canada was still a young nation, if we want to use that term, we just celebrated Canada 150 a few years ago. Queen Elizabeth was Queen of Canada longer than any other monarch and she oversaw a lot of transition and a lot of change in this country, and included in that is design," said Guenther. "When she came to the throne, the buildings we would have known were grand, classical, monumental buildings. But in 1952 when her reign started, we start to see the emergence of modern architecture, a little bit smaller scale, or just different ways of building a building."

For those who want to check out the exhibit, it is set up in the rotunda in Union Station.

The exhibit will be set up until Jan. 8, 2023.