Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/5/2016 (1591 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

With the demise of the Public Safety Building a near certainty after a Winnipeg city council committee decided to not pursue rehabilitation of the structure, the question now is: what will become of the site after the limestone-clad modernist building encounters the wrecking ball?

The PSB has recently come to be considered a heritage building by advocates and architecture preservationists, though it is a relatively new addition (built in 1965) to a site that first came into use as a public space more than 140 years ago.

Early in 1873, months before the incorporation of the City of Winnipeg, a market square was laid out on a small parcel of land west of Main Street. Soon after municipal incorporation, the Ross family that owned the square gifted it to the city with the caveat that it be used for public purposes. A city hall was built, followed by an indoor market on the other side of King Street, which bisected the site.

Like any good urban space, Winnipeg’s market square served much more than its original formal purpose, most notably as ground zero for public dissent. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the square was Winnipeg’s answer to London’s Speaker’s Corner, and police were regularly called in to break up brawls between local fascist and communist groups.

The market square was also a place for joy. In July 1919, less than a month after the General Strike reached a violent crescendo a few feet away, Peace Day celebrations were held to mark the official end of the First World War. A band was positioned on the roof of the market building, and Winnipeggers danced in the square until midnight.

In 1920, the market building was converted to civic offices by a bureaucracy that had outgrown Winnipeg’s effervescent city hall building. An outdoor market continued to operate seasonally but the sale of perennials in the springtime was sacrificed in 1962 when mayor Stephen Juba ordered the market closed so city councillors could park their cars in the square year-round. Soon after, the square and a block that lined its northern edge were levelled to make way for the Public Safety Building and Civic Centre Parkade.

With little political will to save either of these modernist structures today, consulting firm Deloitte was hired to report on redevelopment options that merit further examination. It offered three: create a signature public space on the PSB site and sell the remaining land; build an office building for city departments with some space left over for private development and a small plaza; or build a massive parking garage on the PSB site and sell off the remaining land.

Regardless of what cool design gimmicks it might be festooned with, a new parking garage on the site of the Public Safety Building would be an affront to the historical significance of the site and to the urbanism of the neighbourhood. It would also be superfluous — the Civic Centre Parkade has been closed since 2012 and the sky has yet to fall.

Any further analysis will require a careful understanding of the historic value of the site, and of the complex nature of creating good public space.

A new, public, open space would need to be relevant to the site and its context. It should make provisions for sunshine, shade, beauty, spontaneity, and lots of places to sit — a place that is practical to walk through, and inviting enough for one to sit in and wish their lunch hour lasted a little longer. It should provide respite from the noise of traffic and the opportunity for people-watching.

Consideration should also be given to the potential influence of the increasingly successful Old Market Square nearby (so named because a hay market operated there in the 19th century). It may be found there is no need for new open space and, in this case, planning and design of a building for public purposes should ensure it adds to the street life of the neighbourhood. Perhaps an indoor market could return to the site after nearly a century-long absence.

For all its cold insularity, the Public Safety Building is at least iconic. Whatever replaces it should not only be a landmark but return the site to its historical place as an engaging centre of civic life.

Robert Galston is a master’s candidate in the city planning department at the University of Manitoba.