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St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower

552 Plinguet Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2J, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1995/11/10

Contextual view, from the north, of the St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower, Winnipeg, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism, 2006
Contextual View
View of the tank, from the north, of the St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower, Winnipeg, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism, 2006
Detail
View of the tank, from below, of the St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower, Winnipeg, 2006; Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism, 2006
Detail

Other Name(s)

St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower
St. Boniface Water Tower
Château d'eau de Saint-Boniface

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1936/01/01 to 1936/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/10/29

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The
St. Boniface Waterworks Water Tower, a large elevated steel storage tank built in 1936 and extended upward
in 1945, is located in a sprawling municipal compound in an industrial area of east Winnipeg. The City
of Winnipeg designation applies to the tower on its footprint.

Heritage Value

The St. Boniface Waterworks
Water Tower, a black steel tank atop a tall free-standing steel frame, is a highly visible landmark and
rare example of municipal infrastructure remaining from the period before St. Boniface amalgamated with
metropolitan Winnipeg in 1972. The tower recalls the French-speaking community's efforts to attract
investment and residents by establishing an early waterworks system (1904-12) that pumped water from
artesian wells into concrete and underground reservoirs and into a tower for gravity feed through a network
of distribution mains. After 1919, when a more plentiful and consistent supply of water became available
through the Greater Winnipeg Water District (GWWD) aqueduct from Shoal Lake, St. Boniface continued to
use elevated tank storage to boost local water pressure during periods of high demand.

Source: City
of Winnipeg Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development Minutes, June 26, 2001

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the landmark character of the St. Boniface Waterworks Water
Tower site include:
- the structure's prominence on the skyline of northeast St. Boniface, clearly
visible for substantial distances in all directions
- the location within an historic municipal waterworks
compound that also includes the terminus and repair shops of the GWWD rail line and another designated
structure, the GWWD Railway Station

Key elements that define the water tower's industrial nature
and municipal function include:
- the 454,000-litre black storage tank of steel construction, 6.4 metres
high, with a hemispherical base, shallow conical roof and 'CITY OF ST. BONIFACE' painted on
its north and south faces
- the steel-framed tower, 45.8 metres high, with four legs anchored in concrete
and stabilized by cross-braces and diagonal steel cables
- utilitarian details such as the simple metal
service ladder, the tank's catwalk with a latticed guardrail, the spherical rooftop water level
indicator, etc.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Manitoba

Recognition Authority

City of Winnipeg

Recognition Statute

City of Winnipeg Act

Recognition Type

Winnipeg Landmark Heritage Structure

Recognition Date

1995/11/10

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1945/01/01 to 1945/12/31

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Technology and Engineering

Function - Category and Type

Current

Industry
Communications Facility

Historic

Industry
Water or Sewage Facility

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

15-30 Fort Street Winnipeg Manitoba

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

W0205

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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