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This article was published 5/12/2014 (2117 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What began as a hit multimedia series in the Free Press topped the local bestseller list Thursday night, even before its formal launch.

Local architects, journalists and Mayor Brian Bowman gathered at McNally Robinson Booksellers Thursday evening for the unveiling of City Beautiful, the exploration of Winnipeg's largely hidden architectural history, development and recent renaissance.

Reporter Randy Turner, who penned the original three-part series this fall, said Winnipeg's history of beautiful buildings, its grandiose beginnings at the turn of the century and the lean decades that followed, are a testament to the strength of local architects.

"Just the fact that we're still here is a testament to that resilience," said Turner. "The renaissance of today is based on the fact that they went through such hard times. They had to be innovative, they had to be creative, because they had to compete with less."

The glossy coffee-table book -- on sale now at McNally, Indigo, Chapters and at winnipegfreepress.com for $29.95 -- features dozens of historic photos as well as new ones taken by the Free Press's Melissa Tait and other staff photographers. It was the product of a partnership between the Free Press and the Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA).

MAA president Lee McCormick said the book serves as a tour guide to the city's best buildings and a tribute to those who helped create them, from interior designers to tradespeople to government officials.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ABOVE: Author Randy Turner talks during the launch of the Winnipeg Free Press book City Beautiful at McNally Robinson Thursday evening. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

"Great architecture can shape the future of a city and change the lives of those who live in it," he said.

Free Press editor Paul Samyn said the paper's year-long project was eye-opening for him, a born and bred Winnipegger who, like many, has a blind spot about his hometown. He said Winnipeg's remarkable urban history has been hiding in plain sight, until now.

"I never saw the whole picture," said Samyn.

"I never really appreciated the vision and ambition that built my hometown."

City Beautiful shines a light on Winnipeg's past and brings its future into focus, he said.

Mayor Bowman received a copy Thursday night and touted the "architectural might" that already exists in Winnipeg.

-- staff