The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2009, Side 15

Vol. 62 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
105
and is now the Aboriginal Centre for
Winnipeg.
At the corner of Higgins and Main
Street the building on the left is called
Circle of Life Thunderbird House. This is
a meeting place of First Nations People.
World-renowned architect, Douglas
Cardinal, designed this building which is
meant to reflect and represent the beliefs
and hope of the aboriginal community. The
architecture incorporated traditional forms
of round and lodge tepee types, with the
head and wings of a thunderbird. Shoes are
removed when entering this sacred house.
Next on the tour were the areas of
Winnipeg known as Theatre Row, Bankers
Row, and Newspaper Row. We turned left
off Higgins to Main Street south and trav-
eled down Main Street to Rupert Street
past one of Canada's best museums, The
Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature.
This museum houses the Hudson Bay
Collection and the Nonsuch; a replica ship
that was built in England and toured many
ports before being brought to Canada and
landing in Montreal. When the museum
was not ready to house the ship it was
taken by Riverton Boatworks Company to
the West Coast and back. The ship was
built for the Hudson Bay Company’s Tri-
centennial in 1970.
We turned right on to Rupert Street
and went down to the stop sign on Lily,
where the building at this corner belongs to
fashion designer of Finnish descent, Peter
Nygard. Well-known Icelander, Arni
Thorteinson, is collaborating with Nygard
in designing condominiums and commer-
cial buildings.
Straight ahead was the Manitoba
Theatre Centre, started by John Hirsch.
This theatre as well as the MTC
Warehouse, Centennial Concert Hall and
Pantages Theatre constitute “Theatre
Row.” We turned right on Market Street.
At Main Street we saw to our right the
Centennial Concert Hall built in 1967. This
is a fine example of modern architecture,
1945-1975. The windows facing Main
Street are like eye lids and hence, no cur-
tains are needed. To the left is the Pantages
Theatre, built in 1914, during vaudeville's
heyday. Alexander Pantages boasted that
his theatre has something for everyone.
Straight ahead are Winnipeg City Hall
and administration offices. The chief archi-
tect was David Thordarson, who used the
themes of modern architecture's form and
function, with a focus on the impact of
light and open air. David was also one of
the main architects of the airport in
Winnipeg.
The tour turned left at Main Street. At
460 Main we viewed the Royal Bank
Building, constructed in the Italian
Renaissance palazzo style in 1906. To the
left is the curved Confederation Life
Building, which follows the bend in Main
Street. The next site was the Motyka Dance
Studio, where Jennifer Lopez and Richard
Gere took lessons to perform in the movie
Shall We Dance? Across the street is the
Millennium Centre, formerly the Bank of
Commerce. At one time this was
Winnipeg's only corporate bank and was
open until the mid 1960's.
The tour turned right at the corner of
Portage and Main Street, known as the
windiest corner in North America. At the
corner of Smith and Portage is the head
office of Logberg Heimskringla. These
wonderful quarters are made possible
through the generosity of Gordon
Reykdal, Honorary Consul for Alberta.
Logberg Heimskringla is the only ethnic
newspaper in North America to continu-
ously publish for 120 years.
At the corner of Donald Street and
Portage Avenue is the New MTS Centre
(Manitoba Telephone System). It has been
rated as one of the best entertainment
venues in North America. This building is
situated on the former site of the Eaton's
building. John David Eaton was married to
an Icelandic girl from Winnipeg, Signy
Stephenson. In the centre, on the right,
inside the main entrance, is a mural and dis-
play to honour the Winnipeg Falcons
hockey team, winners of the Olympics in
1920. In the rotunda on the second floor is
the statue of Timothy Eaton, founder of
the Eaton’s Store. Legend has it that if you
rub the toe of this statue it will bring you
good luck.
Further down Portage Avenue is the
site of the new, state-of-the-art Manitoba