Heritage Winnipeg shares history of Exchange District Campus buildings in honour of Winnipeg 150
By: Elisabeth Kehler
The five Princess Street buildings of Red River College Polytechnic’s Roblin Centre weren’t originally built to be an educational facility: they have been standing since 1882, and the first students entered the college 123 years later, on September 5, 2005.
Heritage Winnipeg’s newly released book in honour of Winnipeg 150, Stories Our Buildings Tell, features a drawing of the Roblin Centre and a short blurb on its history. To explore its past in more depth, president of Heritage Winnipeg, Greg Agnew, shared some photos and newspaper clippings from the Heritage Winnipeg archives.
“It is vital that we preserve our history through books, writings and such, but also the physical structures we have to offer,” said Agnew. “A picture is worth a thousand words they say, and seeing a real heritage structure can tell thousands of words.”
The Princess Street buildings’ fate was uncertain before RRC Polytech moved in. When the school decided on this location for the downtown campus, they saved the buildings from demolition.
“When the rehabilitation happened… it was the impetus of the transformation of having younger generations in a historic district to live, work, and play,” said Cindy Tugwell, Heritage Winnipeg’s executive director.
The move to the Exchange District was not only a way forward for the college, said Tugwell, but also a way to preserve history. The buildings’ interiors were renovated, yet their original exteriors were preserved.
Students reflect on campus history
RRC Polytech’s move turned the Princess Street buildings into a hub for over 2,000 students and 200 instructors.
“For me, it is a relaxing area that takes me to the past, full of history,” said student Sarezka Tapia Bernal.. “Knowing that it was a hotel, grocery store, grain exchange, and some other things, I just can’t imagine all the stories that must be there that started 142 years ago.”
Students like Tapia Bernal spend significant time on campus.
“I enjoy spending time over there,” Tapia Bernal said. “I wasn’t aware of what that place was before the college, but I really enjoy the concept of the place and the view.”
Historic blocks of the Roblin Centre
The Benson Block at 146 Princess Street has been home to a variety of business over the years including a grocery store, an agriculture equipment warehouse, and several different hotels, including the Drake Hotel from 1944 to 1974. Today, the doors of 146 Princess Street lead to a student lounge area, with the Buhler Learning Commons to the left.
164 Princess Street was home to Winnipeg’s first grain exchange, starting in 1892. The second exchange was built next door at 160 Princess Street in 1898. In 1938, the upper floors of the first exchange building became a glove factory.
Barber and Barber, a pair of Winnipeg architects, first built the unit at 148 Princess Street to be an office building. Today, this block houses the campus bookstore.
“The buildings brought the people, and the people were critical to the success of the Exchange and continue to be,” Tugwell said.
She also said she is hopeful younger generations who attend the campus will value and advocate for the buildings in the future.
