Exterior restoration on Dome Building almost complete

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A major fundraising campaign to restore the historic Dome Building on the Keystone Centre grounds has reached the halfway point.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/11/2015 (3611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A major fundraising campaign to restore the historic Dome Building on the Keystone Centre grounds has reached the halfway point.

Restoring the Glory has raised approximately $3.5 million of the $7.2-million goal.

“We have completed a lot of the heritage restoration, we have sewer and water dug in … One of the highlights was the restoration of the original windows,” said Ron Kristjansson, general manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. 

Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun
Construction on the historic Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II continues as as crews work on the restoration of the historic structure on the Keystone Centre grounds on Wednesday.
Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun Construction on the historic Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II continues as as crews work on the restoration of the historic structure on the Keystone Centre grounds on Wednesday.

“We’ve put in new energy-efficient interior windows and we’re working on the design plans for the interior of the building.”

The project has been ongoing for many years, with construction dating back to 2010-11. With its unique dome towers and classic architecture, the century-old building is quite impressive. Known as Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II, it was built in 1913 for the Dominion Fair.

“(It) was constructed in that year to promote agricultural and manufacturing innovations from across Canada,” states the plaque outside the building. “The structure is a rare surviving example of agricultural buildings constructed in Manitoba.”

It was designed by Walter H. Shillinglaw and David Marshall, two prominent Brandon architects. It’s the last building standing in Canada that was built specifically for the Dominion Fair.

The structure is both a national and provincial heritage building, which has come with some challenges during the restoration project.

“It is a very time-consuming and intricate process,” Kristjansson said. “What needs to be replaced has to be replaced properly and according to how it was originally built in 1913. And we have gone to the lengths of replacing a small portion of a rotten board, rather than replace the whole board.” 

If all goes according to plan and funds continue to roll in, the estimated completion date for the project is 2017. The goal is to have the project complete in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, and the Provincial Ex’s 135th that summer. The City of Brandon will also be celebrating its 135th year.

“We’re very optimistic that if we can keep our fundraising activities going, that we will be able to have this project essentially completed by 2017,” Kristjansson said. “An historic landmark for the country of Canada, the City of Brandon and the Provincial Exhibition.”

File
Design work is underway for the interior of the Dome Building. The estimated completion date for the project is 2017.
File Design work is underway for the interior of the Dome Building. The estimated completion date for the project is 2017.

Thanks to favourable weather this fall, crews with Horizon Builders and Flynn Roofing have been able to make progress on the building exterior. Through Manitoba Heritage funding, the project will be acquiring replica exterior doors. The final exterior work will be focusing on the entranceways and upper towers of the dome.

“That should all be done here in the next couple of months … that will essentially complete the heritage portion of the restoration project,” Kristjansson said. 

In the past year, Restoring the Glory received $100,000 through Parks Canada’s heritage program, nearly $20,000 through Manitoba Heritage and more than $100,000 in private donations.

“We have several other very promising leads for private and corporate donations to support this project,” Kristjansson said.

He recently appeared before Brandon City Council to provide an update on the project, and request continued funding. Last year the city provided $85,000 for the project, and organizers are hopeful they will include the same amount in the 2016 budget.

Coun. Vanessa Hamilton (Riverview), co-chair of the city’s heritage advisory committee, said the request will be up for discussion during 2016 budget deliberations in January. 

“Brandon has always been an agriculture city, right from inception, and this project will definitely preserve its roots,” Hamilton said. “I think it’ll be great for local tourism, it’s really great to see.”

The plan for the interior of the building is to make it modern and functional, while preserving its original look.

Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba
The Restoring the Glory campaign has raised approximately $3.5 million of the $7.2-million goal.
Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba The Restoring the Glory campaign has raised approximately $3.5 million of the $7.2-million goal.

Hugh Jameson, honorary director of the Provincial Ex board, has been involved with the organization since the early 1970s. He’s enjoyed seeing the project progress and looks forward to the end result. 

“I think it’ll be great for the community,” he said. “All our office staff are going to come down here … and we’re going to have a museum at one end of it, going to have places for people to meet. We hope to have this museum set up where people can see how it was done years ago.”

» jaustin@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @jillianaustin

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