201 Portage - Canwest Global Plaza

Project: Canwest Global Plaza
Address: 201 Portage (at Notre Dame)
Website: Canwest Place
Status: In Process
Cost: undisclosed

Background A year after Canwest, through Creswin Properties, acquired the TD Building and Albert Street parkade in 2004, David Asper announced an ambitious multi-million dollar plan to "jazz up" the north-west section of the property.

Before the tower was built in 1990 (click for source)

Click images for source

Aspects of the Canwest's Global Plaza were to include:

- Demolition of the 1962 Electric Railway Chambers Annex (completed 2006)
- Move Global Winnipeg's operations to Canwest Place (completed 2008)
- Construct a multi-media broadcast centre on the Annex site (which was tied to a proposal to have the Manitoba Hydro Tower locate to the north-east, which did not happen. Neither has the media centre).
- The plaza, which would sit between the tower and broadcast centre, was to receive the "Times Square" treatment. Major upgrades in the surroundings, a sound stage, multimedia screens.

Electric Railway Chambers Annex

Originally to be completed in 2007, the project has been scaled back. Most recently, the "Aspertron", a 470 sq ft media panel, was unveiled in Spring 2009.

Related:
- Annual Report 2006 Historic Buildings Committee Report (Source of the Annex photo)
- Aspers Jazzing Up Portage and Main WFP Oct 2005
- $40m broadcast centre planned for Winnipeg Archiseek Oct 2005
- Architect Dynamo and Friend of Masonry Manitoba Masonry
- CanWest Global Plaza McGowan Russell