400 Colony Street - U of W Centre for Theatre and Film

Place: Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film, University of Winnipeg (Website)
Address: 400 Colony Street (Map)
Opened: December 3, 1960 / March 3, 2009
Architect:
Cost: $500,000 (1960). $9.2 m (2007)

Background

By the 1950s the Salvation Army had outgrown it's Citadel on Rupert Avenue. With offices and programming scattered around the downtown, a decision was made to build a new centre on Colony Street. The $500,000 complex housed the divisional corporate offices, welfare division and some youth programming. It also had a 500 seat auditorium.

December 2, 1960. Winnipeg Free Press.

On December 3, 1960 the building officially opened. Lieutenant Governor Errick Willis cut the ribbon and territorial commander for Canada and Bermuda, Commissioner W. Wycliffe Booth, dedicated it. The following year they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Salvation Army Citadel in Winnipeg.

Captains Calvin and Marion Ivany
Sept. 16, 1961. Winnipeg Free Press.

In July 1961 Capt. Calvin J. Ivany and his wife Captain Marion Ivany were appointed to head up the new Citadel. They came from Ottawa with a long line of citadel work behind them.

In 1999 the neighbouring University of Winnipeg purchased the Citadel from the Salvation Army with a $3.525 m grant from the province. Initially, it housed offices for the theatre and film department with plans to raise an additional $5.5m to transform the space into a state of the art theatre and film centre by the fall of 2001 but the project did not proceed at the time

In 2006 Canwest contributed $3m to help transform the space into a state-of-the-art film production and theatre space. In July 2007 another $473,600 came from Canadian Heritage.

The building was completely renovated and a three storey, 1,700 sq foot addition added. The entrance was changed to face the university on Balmoral Street. The long-awaited 150 seat theatre and production space officially opened on March 3, 2009.

Related:
Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film Fast Facts U Winnipeg
Theatre and Film Department U Winnipeg