Pavilion at Assiniboine Park reopens after months of renovations
One of Assiniboine Park's most familiar landmarks is open to the public again, with a fresh look and some works of art thanks to a new partnership with the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
The Assiniboine Park Pavilion officially reopened on Wednesday with officials announcing the launch of WAG@ThePark, which features curated art exhibits around pieces from the gallery and the park.
The WAG@ThePark partnership aims to bring more art to the public, with a focus on the works of Canadian artists, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy said in a news release.
The pavilion was temporarily closed on Feb. 1 as crews updated the second and third floors, the main-floor restaurant space and the event space. The facility also received some new roofing, an upgraded mechanical system and insulation.
Also new to the pavilion is Plains Call, a large bronze sculpture created and donated by Manitoba artist Ivan Eyre, which now stands in the garden in front of the building.
What remains missing is a restaurant. Assiniboine Park officials said they're "actively looking for a new restaurant tenant on the main floor to complete the space." Previous eateries in the pavilion included Tavern in the Park, Terrace Fifty-Five and Terrace in the Park.
The original pavilion at Assiniboine Park was built in 1908 but burned down in 1929. Its successor opened in 1930, featuring "elements of early English architecture, a mock Tudor half-timbering, bell tower, and roof line reminiscent of thatching," the conservancy said.
Over the decades, the pavilion was used mainly as a seasonal facility with a canteen on the main floor and a rental hall on the second floor.
It underwent extensive restoration and reopened in October 1998 with art galleries on the second and third floors housing the works of Eyre and fellow artists Walter J. Phillips and Clarence Tillenius.
